The historic landing of a seaplane on Lake Burley Griffin this week (15 December) could signal a bold new way to commute to and from Sydney.
The National Capital Authority (NCA) said the demonstration flight would help it assess the impact of regular seaplane activity on the lake.
“This is the first step in the process that will determine if a seaplane commuter route between Canberra and Sydney is a viable one,” the NCA said.
“In June 2020 the National Capital Authority (NCA) Board received a presentation and proposal from Sydney Seaplanes (SSP) to operate three return commuter air service flights per day between Sydney to Canberra,” it said.
“The proposal envisages two take offs and landings each day on Lake Burley Griffin (LBG) and a single take-off and landing from Canberra airport.”
The NCA said it would fully assess environmental considerations, noise, and infrastructure considerations and conduct a comprehensive community consultation before passing judgement on the SSP proposal.
The Authority said trial flights from Sydney’s Rose Bay to Lake Burley Griffin were expected to start in the third quarter of next year, following community consultation.
The Canberra Times reported that the trip was expected to cost about $300 one-way, would be able to take up to 15 people, and would have passengers at their destination in just over an hour.
