16 October 2025
Electric seaplanes and autonomous cargo drones could soon be vying for space along the south-west coast – at least, that’s the ambition behind a new feasibility study.
Open Skies Network (OSN), a spinout from the Open Skies Cornwall project, has secured funding from the Great South West’s New Innovators in Marine and Maritime fund — a £2.3 million scheme offering grants between £25,000 and £50,000 — to explore how zero-emission amphibians and drones might one day operate between harbour towns and islands from Dorset to the Isles of Scilly.
The HarbourLift programme promises to examine everything from aircraft performance and charging points to harbour suitability and integration with ferries, rail and aviation. OSN has already teamed up with the CAA and local aerodromes, attracting seven manufacturers and four operators — including the NHS and Royal Mail — to support the project.
CEO Gareth Whatmore said the aim was to move “decarbonised aviation from concept to reality”.
How all this new commercial traffic — including uncrewed cargo drones — might integrate into what is currently see-and-avoid Class G coastal airspace is yet to be seen. For now, HarbourLift joins a growing list of projects hoping to prove that clean, short-hop air mobility can work in the real world — and not just in renderings.
More information here.
