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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/14/scottish-seaplane-firm-launches-london-essex-osea-island-route
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| Scottish seaplane firm launches London-Essex route | Scottish seaplane firm launches London-Essex route |
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| The social elite of the 1930s sipped cocktails in them; British airmen battled the Germans in them during the second world war and Indiana Jones fled from an enraged indigenous tribe in one in Raiders of the Lost Ark – but for more than 60 years seaplanes have been out of fashion on English shores. | The social elite of the 1930s sipped cocktails in them; British airmen battled the Germans in them during the second world war and Indiana Jones fled from an enraged indigenous tribe in one in Raiders of the Lost Ark – but for more than 60 years seaplanes have been out of fashion on English shores. |
| But this could all change as a Scottish company prepares to launch its first flights in England between London and an island resort in Essex with ambitions to open up further flights from the Thames to destinations around the UK. | But this could all change as a Scottish company prepares to launch its first flights in England between London and an island resort in Essex with ambitions to open up further flights from the Thames to destinations around the UK. |
| Loch Lomond Seaplanes currently runs flights around the west coast of Scotland but its managing director and chief pilot plans to expand routes following a surge in popularity of the seaplane in countries such as Croatia, Turkey, Sri Lanka, India and Vietnam. | |
| Former intercontinental pilot David West, the company’s founder, told the Times that passengers were attracted to the seaplane as it offered a refreshing alternative to the high-stress environment of modern air travel. | |
| West said: “You can turn up 15 minutes before your flight, park your car by the side of the water and get on board. This is the simplicity of it. It is this wonderful experience rather than something you have to endure.” | West said: “You can turn up 15 minutes before your flight, park your car by the side of the water and get on board. This is the simplicity of it. It is this wonderful experience rather than something you have to endure.” |
| The company brands itself the longest-standing seaplane company in Europe and operates sightseeing tours around the west coast of Scotland. | The company brands itself the longest-standing seaplane company in Europe and operates sightseeing tours around the west coast of Scotland. |
| The first English route will take passengers from London to the island of Osea – a 400-acre island resort off the coast of Essex popular with the likes of actor Sienna Miller and model Poppy Delevingne. | |
| From this summer, two aircrafts a day will land on the island, which is owned by music producer Nigel Frieda and where visitors are welcomed on an invitation-only basis. When it launches, it will be the first time a dedicated service has been operated in England since the 1950s. | |
| But west has claimed that he does not want the flights to remain a preserve of the super-rich and hopes to make tickets available from £89. He hopes to ultimately receive permission from the Civil Aviation Authority to run flights from the Thames up to the company’s headquarters on Loch Lomond in Scotland. | |