Despite the difficulties of Covid that is affecting everybody, we keep making progress in getting closer to a commercial launch of our services.
In order to strengthen our capacity, we are happy that recently we attracted more colleagues and advisors to our team, and are now a grand total of 15 brilliant team members, including advisors, working on our goal to bring professional premium seaplane services to the Kingdom of Thailand. This includes further firepower on operations and business, as well commercial advisory. Their, and everyone’s, contributions are important and crucial to our success.
A large focus of our current work relates to close collaboration between us and various Government authorities, on national, regional and local level. To give you an example of what this looks like, we recently had the wonderful opportunity to meet with the relevant Directors of the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. This was to ensure the same understanding on both sides and establish a collaborative approach between the office and our company. Seaplane services are a new type of operation for the country and with our approach of high standardisation, professionalism and risk identification and mitigation across the board, alongside an open and collaborative approach, it guarantees sustainability from the point of view of business, operations, and of course the environment.
ONEP have expressed their support in our endeavor, while thanks to our existing work and insights show that unless permanent infrastructure is built, no environmental impact assessments are required.
Koh Tao, meaning “Turtle Island”, is another fantastic destination where nature is still perfectly preserved. The island is surrounded by crystal clear waters and is led off the sea by fine white sand. It is in the family of the Chumphon Archipelago, located near Koh Samui in the southern part of Thailand. A wonderful choice for those who want to get away from crowded areas of its famous neighbouring island as well as enjoy a similar experience.
Activities offered range from personal get-away to educational trips and local community works. A variety of services are being offered for visitors to relax. The island is also a famous place among snorkelers and scuba divers as there are abundant colorful coral reefs which are home to many sea creatures. It is not a common tourist destination, so the environment is undisturbed.
Apart from stunning beaches, Koh Tao offers four types of flora including dry evergreen forest, mixed deciduous forest, forest with ‘Koi Naam’ tree and Beach forest. This brings visitors to other types of adventure. To begin with, hiking: this activity offers a tour around the island in a unique way. On the other hand, cycling takes you through the area in a more adrenaline pumping way as the roads on the island are cut through the mountain and hills, which could lead to many attractive landmarks. Finally climbing: the island is composed largely by Granite rocks, an awesome place for people who like watching to view from up high.
Our Cessna Grand Caravan EX Amphibian is fuel-efficient and easy to maintain. Smooth landings on water and hard surfaces providing stability in high winds with power generated by Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PT6A-140 engine.
Here’s some other facts & figures —
Max Range: 810 nm
Max Occupants: 2 crews plus 8 to 12 passengers depending on configuration and local regulations.
Max Cruise Speed: 165 ktas
Useful Load: 3,122 lb
Take-off Water Run: 2,000 ft
And if you can’t get enough facts & figures, check out our social media every Monday, where we introduce interesting “did you know” Siam Seaplane facts of the week.