Waterfront Air news
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Waterfront Air news
Here is another article from the Macau Business Magazine about that Twin Otter operation. I hear Peter de Kantzow is involved! Like father, like son?
Waterfront Air 海翔航空 - Seaplanes to Hong Kong & Macau 澳門香港水上飛機
Plane sailing
Entrepreneur Michael Agopsowicz, is planning to rewrite history by restarting a seaplane service between Hong Kong and Macau
by Anil Stephen in Hong kong
If entrepreneur Michael Agopsowicz has his way seaplanes could once again be a familiar sight over Pearl River Delta skies, ferrying tourists from Hong Kong to Macau.
Agopsowicz's inspiration to go back to the future and build a fleet of seaplanes came during a day trip to Macau soon after he moved to Hong Kong three years ago.
It wasn't difficult to see that something special was going on and with Macau drawing nearly 25 million visitors each year - more than the number who visit Las Vegas and Hawaii - nearly seven million of whom make the short journey from Hong Kong to Macau over the same period, Agopsowicz believes there is room for a new and innovative player in what is a highly competitive transportation market.
At present the majority of Macau visitors use the two current modes of transport: high-speed ferry and helicopter. Agopsowicz believes there is a niche for a third option and that seaplanes would be an iconic addition which can take both in Hong Kong and Macau tourism in a new direction.
Thrilling ride
Fittingly for a venture that would look back in time, Agopsowicz's company, WaterfrontAir, is eyeing Hong Kong's old and iconic Kai Tak Airport site for the venture.
Waterfront Air wants to operate a scheduled seaplane service between a new Kai Tak Waterfront Aerodrome and Macau's Cotai Strip that would take about 20 minutes. They envisage 18 flights a day, with the one drawback being the inability to operate at night.
Agopsowicz says: "As you go from Kai Tak, heading towards the west over to Macau you would be travelling at a height of 300-400 feet through Victoria Harbour, the view would be absolutely amazing."
'After looking into the market, the number of Hong Kong tourists and the cost of helicopter flights, I realised that re-introducing seaplanes to Hong Kong after more than 40 years could be a great business opportunity," the Canadian businessman adds.
Seaplanes currently operate in a number of busy urban and scenic waterfront areas including Vancouver and Victoria in Canada, Seattle in the USA and Sydney, Australia. They form a romantic and nostalgic attraction to residents and tourists alike, Agopsowicz says.
Rich history
In the 1920s and '30s, they were a vital fixture in Hong Kong, but lost favour in the mid-1960s when Victoria Harbor became a busy thoroughfare.
According to Agopsowicz, Hong Kong and Macau government officials have forgotten what it's like to fly in a seaplane, and changing the perceptions of civil servants in the marine, aviation, and transportation bureaus is the biggest obstacle to his business vision.
"We are looking at the seaplane as an attraction in itself and we estimate there is market of between 200,000 to 300.000 passengers per-year for seaplanes between Hong Kong and Macau," he says.
WaterfrontAir wants to position the seaplane fare between that of the ferry and the helicopter service at around HK$ 1,500 for a one way trip. The company plans to target people based in Kowloon, the New Territories and Shenzhen while tapping into the tourist market that will develop at Hong Kong's new cruise terminal at Kai Tak.
Agopsowicz plans to outsource most of the operation, including the supply of two or three aircraft and all aircrew. The service would be run by an experienced operator who runs similar services in Vancouver and other cities. But first he needs to convince the Hong Kong maritime authorities that his idea is viable and safe for operation over one of the world's busiest harbours.
Work to do
"Things are ok right now as we are still building political capital and the infrastructure that we need to drive the project forward. We are getting the educational phase moving forward so that when the time is right the execution will be quite a smooth affair," Agopsowicz says.
While the Hong Kong government considers the safety and viability of the proposal, the city's tourism promotion board has backed the concept's business and leisure potential, he says.
For now the biggest challenge is the turbulence that surrounds financing. It will take at least 12-18 months to finance the project before it can take off, particularly in the present economic circumstances.
Agopsowicz is currently financed by a group of Macau-based "Angel investors" and is fine tuning his message to find a backer.
"There are a lot of very rich people that are focused on Macau as the place they are going to put their bets. Sheldon Adelson, the owner of Sands and the Venetian, and the people from MGM and Galaxy have invested billions of dollars into Macau, and this is our bet. If they are so confident in the future growth, I am humbly following in their footsteps," a hopeful Agopsowicz says.
Waterfront Air 海翔航空 - Seaplanes to Hong Kong & Macau 澳門香港水上飛機
Plane sailing
Entrepreneur Michael Agopsowicz, is planning to rewrite history by restarting a seaplane service between Hong Kong and Macau
by Anil Stephen in Hong kong
If entrepreneur Michael Agopsowicz has his way seaplanes could once again be a familiar sight over Pearl River Delta skies, ferrying tourists from Hong Kong to Macau.
Agopsowicz's inspiration to go back to the future and build a fleet of seaplanes came during a day trip to Macau soon after he moved to Hong Kong three years ago.
It wasn't difficult to see that something special was going on and with Macau drawing nearly 25 million visitors each year - more than the number who visit Las Vegas and Hawaii - nearly seven million of whom make the short journey from Hong Kong to Macau over the same period, Agopsowicz believes there is room for a new and innovative player in what is a highly competitive transportation market.
At present the majority of Macau visitors use the two current modes of transport: high-speed ferry and helicopter. Agopsowicz believes there is a niche for a third option and that seaplanes would be an iconic addition which can take both in Hong Kong and Macau tourism in a new direction.
Thrilling ride
Fittingly for a venture that would look back in time, Agopsowicz's company, WaterfrontAir, is eyeing Hong Kong's old and iconic Kai Tak Airport site for the venture.
Waterfront Air wants to operate a scheduled seaplane service between a new Kai Tak Waterfront Aerodrome and Macau's Cotai Strip that would take about 20 minutes. They envisage 18 flights a day, with the one drawback being the inability to operate at night.
Agopsowicz says: "As you go from Kai Tak, heading towards the west over to Macau you would be travelling at a height of 300-400 feet through Victoria Harbour, the view would be absolutely amazing."
'After looking into the market, the number of Hong Kong tourists and the cost of helicopter flights, I realised that re-introducing seaplanes to Hong Kong after more than 40 years could be a great business opportunity," the Canadian businessman adds.
Seaplanes currently operate in a number of busy urban and scenic waterfront areas including Vancouver and Victoria in Canada, Seattle in the USA and Sydney, Australia. They form a romantic and nostalgic attraction to residents and tourists alike, Agopsowicz says.
Rich history
In the 1920s and '30s, they were a vital fixture in Hong Kong, but lost favour in the mid-1960s when Victoria Harbor became a busy thoroughfare.
According to Agopsowicz, Hong Kong and Macau government officials have forgotten what it's like to fly in a seaplane, and changing the perceptions of civil servants in the marine, aviation, and transportation bureaus is the biggest obstacle to his business vision.
"We are looking at the seaplane as an attraction in itself and we estimate there is market of between 200,000 to 300.000 passengers per-year for seaplanes between Hong Kong and Macau," he says.
WaterfrontAir wants to position the seaplane fare between that of the ferry and the helicopter service at around HK$ 1,500 for a one way trip. The company plans to target people based in Kowloon, the New Territories and Shenzhen while tapping into the tourist market that will develop at Hong Kong's new cruise terminal at Kai Tak.
Agopsowicz plans to outsource most of the operation, including the supply of two or three aircraft and all aircrew. The service would be run by an experienced operator who runs similar services in Vancouver and other cities. But first he needs to convince the Hong Kong maritime authorities that his idea is viable and safe for operation over one of the world's busiest harbours.
Work to do
"Things are ok right now as we are still building political capital and the infrastructure that we need to drive the project forward. We are getting the educational phase moving forward so that when the time is right the execution will be quite a smooth affair," Agopsowicz says.
While the Hong Kong government considers the safety and viability of the proposal, the city's tourism promotion board has backed the concept's business and leisure potential, he says.
For now the biggest challenge is the turbulence that surrounds financing. It will take at least 12-18 months to finance the project before it can take off, particularly in the present economic circumstances.
Agopsowicz is currently financed by a group of Macau-based "Angel investors" and is fine tuning his message to find a backer.
"There are a lot of very rich people that are focused on Macau as the place they are going to put their bets. Sheldon Adelson, the owner of Sands and the Venetian, and the people from MGM and Galaxy have invested billions of dollars into Macau, and this is our bet. If they are so confident in the future growth, I am humbly following in their footsteps," a hopeful Agopsowicz says.
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Wonder how many VFR days a year he will be able to operate? Less than half of the year. Might have to rethink that business idea.
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[QUOTEThe service would be run by an experienced operator who runs similar services in Vancouver and other cities. ][/QUOTE]
Similar Service? I don't know of any SMOG **** VFR water taxi's in Canada..... They can see over there , right???.....
Similar Service? I don't know of any SMOG **** VFR water taxi's in Canada..... They can see over there , right???.....
