An aerospace and maritime company REGENT announced that Hawaiian Airlines has agreed to strategically invest in the company to support the initial design of its next-generation 100-person capacity all-electric seaglider known as the Monarch. With this investment, Hawaiian Airlines becomes REGENT’s first U.S.-based design partner for the Monarch, which is slated for entry into commercial service by 2028.
“Innovative interisland transportation has been core to our business since 1929 when we replaced steamships with airplanes. We are excited to be an early investor in REGENT and to be involved in developing their largest seaglider – a vehicle with great potential for Hawaiʻi,” said Avi Mannis, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Hawaiian Airlines. “We look forward to working with REGENT to explore the technology and infrastructure needed to fulfill our vision for convenient, comfortable, and environmentally sustainable interisland transportation.”
“Seagliders will be a game-changer for sustainable regional transportation in communities such as Hawai’i. Through close partnerships with design partners and strategic investors such as Hawaiian Airlines, we can fully understand our operators and unlock their ability to provide zero-emission transportation solutions to their customers,” said Billy Thalheimer, REGENT CEO.
REGENT is developing all-electric seagliders, zero-emission vehicles that provide harbor-to-harbor, overwater transportation at a fraction of the cost, noise, and emissions of existing regional transportation modes like aircraft and ferries. REGENT seagliders will offer a sustainable and resilient mode of regional coastal transportation, especially for residents of coastlines and archipelagos such as the Hawaiian Islands.
REGENT’s flagship seaglider, Viceroy, is a 12-passenger vehicle that operates exclusively over water, traversing the sea in one of three modes: hull, hydrofoil, or flight in ground effect. Seagliders have 160 nautical miles (296 km) range with existing battery technology (upgradeable to over 400 nautical mile range with next-generation battery technology) and will enter service by 2025. Full-scale prototypes will begin sea trials by 2023.
