Hellenic Seaplanes S.A.

Hellenic Seaplanes S.A. is a Greek seaplane company established in Athens in May 2013 by Nicolas Charalambous. Its creation followed Greece’s adoption of legislation establishing a framework for water aerodromes and seaplane operations. The company’s business model is built around linking islands, coastal communities, mainland destinations and selected inland waterways through amphibious aircraft, while also supporting tourism and specialized aviation services. The company is headquartered in Kallithea, Athens, and its aircraft maintenance base is at Megara General Aviation Airport. Hellenic Seaplanes has presented itself not simply as an airline, but as an integrated seaplane operator with capabilities spanning maintenance, pilot and operational training, flight operations and the development of water-aerodrome infrastructure. Its broader strategy depends on the creation and licensing of a network of water airports and water fields that can support regular and on-demand flights. Its proposed service portfolio includes scheduled passenger flights, sightseeing tours, charter and private aviation, resort transfers, freight and courier transportation, and medical evacuation services. The company has described its target network as covering ten broad Greek regions: Central Greece and Attica; Crete; Thrace and the North Aegean islands; Macedonia; Epirus; the Dodecanese; the Peloponnese; the Ionian Islands and Western Greece; the Cyclades; and Thessaly. This network concept is intended to complement Greece’s conventional ferry and airport systems by providing faster point-to-point links among destinations that may be separated by water or lack convenient direct surface connections. Hellenic Seaplanes’ brand identity uses a stylized seagull as its central visual symbol. The bird’s ability to move between air and water parallels the company’s amphibious aviation proposition, while the blue color palette references Greece’s national colors. Its “Connecting Greece” tagline summarizes the intended role of the company: connecting islands and mainland destinations through port-to-port air services. The company has identified the Cessna 208 Caravan and the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter as aircraft types for its seaplane operations. The amphibious Cessna Caravan is a single-engine turboprop designed for relatively small passenger loads and regional versatility, while the twin-engine Twin Otter is suited to larger groups and demanding maritime operating conditions. The published operating concept combines regular routes with sightseeing and customized charter work rather than relying on a single standardized airline schedule. For summer 2024, Hellenic Seaplanes announced sightseeing operations around Corfu and nearby destinations including Paxos, Antipaxos and the Diapontian Islands. It also planned scheduled service between Corfu and Paxos, alongside charter flights serving water airports, water fields and conventional airports in the Ionian Sea, the Peloponnese and Western Greece. The company’s long-term development remains closely tied to regulatory approvals, infrastructure availability, aircraft deployment and the maturation of Greece’s water-aerodrome network.

Hellenic Seaplanes was established in Athens in May 2013 by Nicolas Charalambous. Its formation came shortly after Greece enacted legislation providing a legal basis for water aerodromes and commercial seaplane activity. The company emerged with the objective of developing a domestic seaplane network capable of connecting Greek islands and coastal communities with mainland destinations. From its early positioning, Hellenic Seaplanes treated infrastructure as an essential part of its business. Rather than limiting itself to aircraft operations, it described a model incorporating water-aerodrome development, flight operations, maintenance and training. This approach reflects the practical requirements of seaplane aviation: scheduled service depends not only on aircraft and crews, but also on licensed landing sites, passenger facilities, maintenance arrangements and local operating permissions. The company’s proposed network covered a wide range of Greek geography. Its plans included the Ionian Islands, the Aegean islands, Crete, the Peloponnese, Central Greece, Attica, Epirus, Macedonia, Thrace and Thessaly. The intended services were broader than conventional scheduled airline transport. Hellenic Seaplanes identified sightseeing, private and charter aviation, resort transfers, freight and courier services, and medical evacuation as potential or planned activities alongside scheduled passenger flights. The company has used the “Connecting Greece” tagline to express its central strategic idea: using seaplanes to provide direct links among ports, islands, coastal cities and other destinations. Its logo, a stylized seagull rendered in blue tones, reinforces the relationship between maritime geography and aviation while drawing on Greek visual associations. Hellenic Seaplanes has identified two amphibious aircraft types for its operating concept. The Cessna 208 Caravan is a single-engine turboprop designed for smaller regional passenger operations, with the cited configuration accommodating up to 12 passengers. The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a twin-engine amphibious aircraft with a cited capacity of up to 19 passengers and characteristics suited to maritime and variable-weather operations. These aircraft support a mix of short regional links, sightseeing flights and charter missions. In 2020, the company described an ambition to operate port-to-port services among Greek islands, coastal cities in Central Greece and lakes across the country. The plan positioned seaplanes as both a transport alternative and a tourism product. Its implementation depended on the development and authorization of the necessary water-airport network, as well as on the availability of suitable aircraft and operational approvals. For summer 2024, Hellenic Seaplanes announced a more specific operating program in the Ionian region. The program included aerial sightseeing around Corfu and neighboring islands such as Paxos, Antipaxos, Mathraki, Ereikoussa and Othonoi. The company also planned scheduled flights between Corfu and Paxos and customized charter flights connecting water airports, water fields and conventional airports in the Ionian Sea, Western Greece and the Peloponnese. Publicly available reference material does not establish the full subsequent scale, frequency or continuity of these services.

• 2024

  Ionian sightseeing and scheduled services planned

  [1]Hellenic Seaplanesen.wikipedia.org

  Hellenic Seaplanes announced planned summer operations around Corfu and nearby islands, including sightseeing flights, Corfu–Paxos scheduled service and regional charter flights.

• 2020

  National port-to-port network concept outlined

  [1]Hellenic Seaplanesen.wikipedia.org

  The company described plans for flights linking Greek islands, mainland coastal cities in Central Greece and lakes throughout the country, combining transport and tourism services.

• 2013

  Company established in Athens

  [1]Hellenic Seaplanesen.wikipedia.org

  Hellenic Seaplanes S.A. was founded in May 2013 by Nicolas Charalambous following Greece’s legislation establishing a framework for water aerodromes and seaplane operations.

A Greek regional aviation and tourism brand focused on connecting islands, coastal cities and other destinations through amphibious aircraft and a national water-aerodrome network.

• Passenger air transport

  Scheduled seaplane flights

  Regular passenger services intended to connect Greek islands, coastal destinations and mainland communities through water aerodromes and other approved landing locations. The Corfu–Paxos route was identified as a planned scheduled service for summer 2024.

• Tourism aviation · 2024

  Sightseeing flights

  Scenic flights designed to provide aerial views of Greek islands and coastal landscapes. The company identified Corfu, Paxos, Antipaxos and the Diapontian Islands as destinations for planned summer 2024 sightseeing operations.

• Charter aviation

  Charter and private flights

  Customized flights for private customers, groups, resorts and other clients, using water airports, water fields and conventional airports across the Ionian region, Western Greece and the Peloponnese.

• Tourism transport

  Resort transfers

  Point-to-point transfers intended to connect travelers with resorts and island destinations more directly than conventional ferry or road combinations.

• Air cargo

  Freight and courier services

  Small-scale cargo, freight and courier transportation proposed as part of the company’s broader seaplane service portfolio for geographically dispersed Greek communities.

• Specialized aviation

  Medical evacuation services

  Medical evacuation and emergency transportation identified as a potential specialized use of the company’s seaplane network, particularly for islands and remote coastal locations.

• Amphibious aircraft

  Cessna 208 Caravan

  A single-engine turboprop amphibious aircraft identified in the company’s fleet concept. The cited configuration accommodates up to 12 passengers and is intended for short regional, sightseeing and charter operations.

• Amphibious aircraft

  de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter

  A twin-engine amphibious aircraft identified for higher-capacity and demanding maritime operations. The cited configuration accommodates up to 19 passengers and is designed for operation in varied weather and landing conditions.

• 2024

  Introduce planned Ionian sightseeing and Corfu–Paxos servicesProduct launch

  Background

  The company sought to translate its broader Greek seaplane strategy into specific tourism and passenger operations in the Ionian Islands.

  Action taken

  It announced sightseeing flights around Corfu and neighboring islands, scheduled service between Corfu and Paxos, and customized charter flights in the Ionian Sea, Western Greece and the Peloponnese.

  Aftermath

  The available material records the announced summer 2024 program but does not establish its full operating results or subsequent expansion.

  Source

• 2020

  Develop a nationwide seaplane connection networkStrategy

  Background

  The company’s stated ambition was to provide port-to-port links among Greek islands, mainland coastal cities in Central Greece and lakes throughout Greece.

  Action taken

  Hellenic Seaplanes proposed combining scheduled transport and tourism flights with a broad network of water aerodromes and water fields.

  Aftermath

  The plan established the company’s long-term positioning, although the available reference material does not document the complete implementation of the proposed national network.

  Source

1. 1Hellenic Seaplanesen.wikipedia.org