Seaplane makes a big splash in Canberra on historic day for aviation

Using Lake Burley Griffin as a runway sounds more like an emergency landing than a preferred method of arrival for a flight from Sydney to Canberra.

A Sydney Seaplanes Cessna Caravan takes off over a group of somewhat concerned-looking young sailors on Canberra’s Lake Burley Griffin on Tuesday. Picture: AAP

Using Lake Burley Griffin as a runway sounds more like an emergency landing than a preferred method of arrival for a flight from Sydney to Canberra.

But after a successful demonstration on an overcast Tuesday, Sydney Seaplanes is hoping the unconventional flight between “water airports” will prove a hit with politicians, business people and tourists.

Flying in and out of Sydney Harbour’s Rose Bay, the 15-seat flight — expected to cost about $300 one way — will take just over an hour before it splashes down in the nation’s capital, with Sydney Seaplanes chief executive Aaron Shaw saying he hoped to schedule three flights per day if the service was approved.

 

The historic journey was the first time a seaplane has landed on Lake Burley Griffin, and Mr Shaw described it as an “exhilarating experience”, with a crowd gathered to watch the event.

“The flight down was smooth despite the bad weather in Sydney,” Mr Shaw told The Australian.

While a regular commercial flight between cities takes about 55 minutes, Mr Shaw said the seaplane flight would prove quicker if passengers factored in time spent waiting at the airport.

Used from Antarctica to the Maldives, Mr Shaw backed the two-engine, two-pilot amphibious plane to be as reliable as a commercial plane, particularly with the flight able to divert between landing on water or at an airport depending on conditions.

With Sydney Seaplanes now waiting on the National Capital Authority to make a ruling on the environmental and community impacts, Mr Shaw said he hoped the route would be up and running by the second half of 2021.

Two of the flights into Canberra will land on Lake Burley Griffin, while the first flight to Sydney would depart from Canberra Airport as fog on the lake during winter would make it unsafe.