French Polynesia is set to see a new carrier with the launch of Tahiti Seaplanes (Papeete). To be based initially at Papeete airport on the island of Tahiti, the start-up will operate on the Society Islands archipelago before expanding outwards. Tahiti Seaplanes has yet to secure regulatory approval for its operations.
In a project summary shared with Aviation Geeks Tahiti, the new carrier's co-founder Arthur Cottrel said that they have already acquired a sole Cessna 206 Amphibious, capable of seating five passengers, which is currently leased in Canada. Initial operations will include tourist and panoramic flights, and resort transfers. With the addition of more aircraft, Cottrel believes they can expand to two to four bases across the Tuamotus Islands.
"Based on an existing model that has demonstrated its perfect adaptation to island tourism, particularly in New Caledonia, Fiji, Maldives, Australia ... this project responds to the Tourism Development Strategy of French Polynesia 2015- 2020 and will contribute to the tourist enrichment of the country," Tahiti Seaplanes' presentation says. "It will offer new tourist opportunities to areas that have so far not been accessible."
Cottrel is not aiming to compete with Air Tahiti (VT, Papeete), but hopes that his seaplane operations will provide feeder services to the established airline, connecting larger airports to more regional areas that are currently unserved.
Tahiti Seaplanes' major barrier, however, is that French regulations require that all hydro-surfaces be approved individually. Only one such surface is currently approved, at the southern point of Moorea, but several others are under application. The new start-up will be in direct competition with Tahiti Air Charter (Papeete), which has been operating charter flights – both amphibious and non-amphibious – in the region since 2013.
In a message to ch-aviation, Cottrel said that they were in the process of re-designing their operations to suit local circumstances. "French Polynesia has a very tough political environment," he admitted, adding that more details would be available in several weeks.
