Croatia’s Adriatic Islands Get Seaplane Service

European Coastal Airlines, based in Zagreb and owned by German entrepreneur Klaus Dieter Martin, will launch seaplane flights from Split to Pula and the islands of Rab and Hvar next month.

“The first flights will be to Jelsa [on the island of Hvar], Rab and Pula. These are destinations for which we managed to get concessions for setting up pontoons where our planes will dock,” Martin said.

Flights will be brief and inexpensive, he said. The flight from Resnik to Jelsa, for example, will take little more than 10 minutes and cost between 35 and 40 euro.

Martin began attempts to launch seaplane services five years ago but the authorities in some towns, such as Korcula, refused to give concessions for airfields, citing fears of potential damage to cultural heritage sites.

The launch was then planned for May but postponed until August due to delays with paperwork and logistical planning.

However Martin confirmed that the first plane that will operate between the mainland and the islands had already been bought.

“We ordered another plane, have already employed 28 people, set up the first plane crews and by mid-August we plan to hire 15 more people,” he added.

Flights to Lastovo will also start in September and new destinations along the Croatian coast are planned for next year, including Zadar, Korcula, Vela Luka (on Korcula), Hvar, Vis and Dubrovnik.

Martin said he also had future plans for seaplane connections between Croatia and cities on the Italian side of the Adriatic Sea.