Regent Craft secured a partnership in hopes to provide its all-electric Seagliders to travel to offshore wind and oil platforms.
Key Details
- Regent has formed a partnership with energy company TotalEnergies in order to bring sustainable flights to offshore wind and oil platforms.
- Regent has created the seaglider, which is an all-electric wing-in-ground effect vehicle that flies just above the water’s surface.
- The company’s goal is to reduce the cost and hassle of regional transportation between coastal cities, but by forming this partnership with TotalEnergies it could possibly bring a new purpose to the Seaglider.
Why it’s important
The purpose of the partnership is to bring sustainable air travel to offshore wind and oil platforms.
The seaglider is an all-electric plane model. It works by flying low over water and it is able to take advantage of numerous aerodynamic and operational efficiencies. This allows it to have an increased payload capability and greater range than other electric aircraft concepts.
The two companies plan to identify global offshore energy sites and fly the seaglider along a route to a selected platform. Following the initial pilot, Regent and TotalEnergies will explore new routes and conduct additional pilots to drive forward longer-term cooperation opportunities, according to a Regent press release.
“One of the core questions of the 21st century is how we will meet our energy needs. Connecting our first-of-its-kind all-electric seaglider with a company as deeply committed to exploring the future of energy as TotalEnergies is tremendously exciting and as natural a partnership as we could envision,” says Regent CEO Billy Thalheimer. “The Regent seaglider promises to make maritime travel faster, more cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable. By collaborating with industry leaders like TotalEnergies, we are advancing towards the global transition to clean transportation.”
Other partnerships
Regent plans to have 12-passenger planes in operation by 2025 and have some in the commercial space by 2028.
Hawaiian Airlines invested in the company with hopes to bring the seagliders to the islands.
“Innovative inter island transportation has been core to our business since 1929 when we replaced steam ships with airplanes. We are excited to be an early investor in Regent and to be involved in developing its largest seaglider—a vehicle with great potential for Hawaii,” says Hawaiian Air CMO Avi Mannis.
