Hawaiian Airlines has agreed to strategically invest in REGENT, to support the company’s initial design of a next generation 100 passenger all-electric ‘Monarch’ seaglider. Hawaiian becomes REGENT’s first U.S. partner for Monarch, which is expected to enter service in 2028.
On Wednesday (May 11, 2022), Hawaiian Airlines announced that they have agreed to make a strategic investment in Boston-based REGENT, which is designing a next generation 100 passenger all-electric seaglider known as the Monarch. With the investment, Hawaiian Airlines becomes REGENT’s first U.S.-based design partner for the aircraft, which is expected to enter service in 2028. REGENT is a venture-backed aerospace and maritime company that is building all-electric seagliders that will offer zero-emission vehicles that provide harbor-to-harbor overwater transportation at a fraction of the cost, noise and emissions of currently available options such as aircraft and ferries.
In Wednesday’s announcment, Hawaiian Airlines’ Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Avi Mannis, said,
“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 their largest seaglider – a vehicle with great potential for Hawaiʻi’. We look forward to working with REGENT to explore the technology and infrastructure needed to fulfill our vision for convenient, comfortable and environmentally sustainable inter-island transportation.”
Also commenting on Hawaiian’s strategic investment, REGENT’s CEO, Billy Thalheimer, said,
“Seagliders will be a game-changer for sustainable regional transportation in communities such as Hawai‘i. Through close partnerships with design partners and strategic investors such as Hawaiian Airlines, we can fully understand our operators and unlock their ability to provide zero-emission transportation solutions to their customers.”
Video Rendering of the 12 Passenger REGENT Viceroy seaglider - Courtesy REGENT
REGENT’s ‘seaglider’ vehicles are all-electric, wing-in-ground-effect craft that operate within a wingspan of the water’s surface, coupling the speed of an airplane with the cost of operating a boat. The company is designing the vehicles to service routes up to 180 miles with existing battery technology, and up to 500 miles with next generation batteries, all via existing docking infrastructure.
Hawaiian® Airlines, Hawai’i’s hometown airline, has been the number one U.S. carrier for on-time performance for the past 18 years (2004-2021). The carrier has been in business for 93 years and is Hawaiʻi’s largest and longest-serving airline. Hawaiian Airlines offers approximately 130 daily flights within the Hawaiian Islands and daily nonstop service to 16 U.S. mainland gateways. Additionally, the carrier connects Honolulu with American Samoa, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Tahiti. Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA).
Source(s): Hawaiian Airlines, REGENT