Farnborough, UK. MEHAIR announced the signing of a Letter of Intent (LOI) for fifty (50) ME-1A Amphibious Aircraft with Mallard Enterprises at the Farnborough Airshow 2024. MEHAIR are the proud pioneers of seaplanes services in India since 2011 and till date remain the only seaplane operator in the sub-continent.
Seeking a transition to green aviation in line with its vision, the company has proactively moved towards becoming early adopters of sustainable aviation technologies for the fastest growing aviation market in the world. Amphibious aircraft possess the remarkable ability to seamlessly transition between land and water, offering unparalleled access to new destinations. The pioneering spirit of the MEHAIR management, spurred by the Govt of India’s UDAN initiative to provide ‘last mile’ connectivity has brought the company to the cusp of an extraordinary opportunity.
“MEHAIR is committed to promote a robust amphibious seaplane industry in India. With the world committed to ‘Net Zero’, MEHAIR remains conscious of its responsibility to contribute towards this objective and has identified Mallard Enterprises as its premier partner for achieving this goal. We are confident that these new generation ME-1A amphibious aircraft of 21st century design will provide reliable, economical, and environmentally sustainable connectivity solutions for our customers”, said Siddharth Verma, Managing Director, MEHAIR.
The ME-1A is a regional amphibious airplane, which can land and take-off from land or water, with a standard seating capacity of up to 19 passengers offering low emissions, low noise pollution, faster speed, and low operating costs. It will have a range of over 350 nautical miles (648 kilometres) with 19 passengers and luggage and an extended range of 980 nautical miles (1815 kilometres) with a 10 passenger VIP configuration, all including typical airline reserves.
“As the pioneering modern seaplane company in India, we’re extremely pleased to be part of MEHAIR’s commitment to the growth of a robust amphibious seaplane industry” said Dan Peabody, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Mallard Enterprises. “The ME-1A, with its competitive economics, amphibious capability, speed, and green credentials, fits very well with MEHAIR’s vision, and we see not only the opportunity to connect many existing regional routes, but also open many more new ones.”
“MEHAIR is at the forefront of launching modern seaplane services in India and is moving rapidly towards a pan-India seaplane presence. We are happy to collaborate with MEHAIR with our ME-1A 19 passenger hull based amphibious aircraft to support the growth of seaplanes in India”, said Mohan Chunduri, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Mallard Enterprises.
Mallard Enterprises develops runway independent aviation solutions that increase access, save time, are cost effective and sustainable. Located in Brunswick, Maine, USA Mallard Enterprises is developing the ME-1A, a composite hull amphibious aircraft for operators who are looking for the world’s most versatile Runway Independence Aircraft.
MEHAIR has pioneered the launch of seaplane services in India since 2011 and has been awarded routes in the UDAN program of the Govt of India. It remains the only seaplane company in India and is set to re-launch services in India from Q4 of 2024 with a fleet of amphibious aircraft deployed towards the UDAN and other routes. The company is set to expand its seaplane footprint pan-India and expects to notch up aggregate revenues of US 100M over the next 4 years.
