Spectators lined the side of the Royal Victoria Dock, home of Excel and World Travel Market, last Tuesday to watch a spectacular demonstration of AirSea Lines (ASL) Twin Otter aircraft.
With ABTN editor-in-chief Malcolm Ginsberg as one of three passengers, the floatplane quickly got airborne, flew parallel to the London City Airport runway at 500ft and disappeared down the Thames towards central London.
Climbing to 2000 ft to keep well away from the Canary Wharf skyscrapers, the little turbine powered utility aircraft ” which can carry up to 19 passengers ” flew down as far as Tower Bridge, did a circle above HMS Belfast, and safely returned.
"Exhilarating" was how our experienced flyer put it. "Las Vegas in a helicopter a few days earlier was nothing!"
The Twin Otter's visit was the prelude to a marketing campaign by ASL for its services in the Aegean Sea, and proposed operations out of Athens. One of the great aircraft of all time the de Havilland Twin Otter is a popular float plane conversion used extensively in Canada, and also in the Maldives.
Founded in 2003 with the backing of Harbour Air, the largest scheduled sea plane operator in the world, ASL commenced flights out of Corfu in September 2004. Today it serves the Ionian islands as well as two of the major cities of western Greece Ionnina and Patras. The Italian port of Brindisi is also linked to Corfu.
For 2007 the air carrier proposes to acquire a further four Twin Otters and introduce services from Lavrion, on the waterfront near Athens. A shuttle bus service would be provided to Athens International Airport.