Seawings

Seawings is an experiential seaplane tour operator based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates - the only one of its kind that offers seaplane experiences in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The company was established in August 2007 and provides scenic aerial experiences, sightseeing tours and private seaplane charters to destinations in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah and Muscat. Its services include scenic flights, customized excursions, MICE, Golf, day trips, short sightseeing flights, corporate packages and exclusive aircraft charters to over 25 destinations within the UAE and Oman.
Launched in 2018, ‘Seawings Beyond’, a brand of Seawings offers day and overnight excursions and holidays by private seaplane giving travelers an opportunity to voyage beyond Dubai to less visited and fascinating corners of the UAE and Oman covering a range of activities.
Beyond brings handcrafted private tours that fuse extraordinary scenic flights with luxury experiences to the mountains, beaches and desert island reserves like Sir Bani Yas Island and Zaya Nurai Island.
Their network of 25 locations across the region gives travelers the option to tailor make their itinerary based on what they would like to do, the size of the group and activities during their trip.
Operating base & fleet[edit].
Seawings fleet consists of five Cessna 208 Caravan Seaplanes, each of which seat 9 guests and a pilot which take off from multiple operating sites located in convenient parts of the United Arab Emirates as well as Oman including the soon to be opened location at the Port Rashid with other operational locations in Jebel Ali, Dubai Creek, Yas Marina and Marjan Island.
The Seawings seaplane services & maintenance are operated and managed by Jet Ops FZE, a Dubai-based company and holder of a UAE Air Operator Certificate (AOC). Jet-Ops FZE is owned by Air Charter International Arabia LTD, a leading aviation management company providing ACMI leasing, Aircraft Management and all kinds of charter services. Air Charter International Arabia LTD has been operating from Dubai since 1994.
History of Seaplanes in Dubai[edit].
Seaplanes have always celebrated the pinnacle of luxury travel. Back in the 1930s, the flying boats resembled a gentleman's club in the sky. Passengers would be accommodated in a club type cabin and would always be dressed for the occasion.
Rising early each morning they would join their flying boat for each sector of their long journey. Each night would be spent in an exotic location from Europe, to Egypt to Dubai Creek and thence to India and Australia.
Eighty years after the first flying boat service landed on Dubai Creek, Seawings offers an opportunity to experience travel by seaplane and explore less visited corners of the UAE.
Aviation began in Dubai in 1937, when the first Imperial Airways flying boat, operating a weekly service between the UK and Pakistan, landed on the Dubai Creek. From 1940 to 1950, the Horseshoe Route from Durban to Sydney via the Persian Gulf was established. By the end of 1944, British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was operating 8 flying boats a week. January 1947 saw the last of the ‘C’ class, Short Empire flying boats operating the Horseshoe route through Khartoum, Luxor, Cairo, Kallia (Dead Sea), Habbaniya (Iraq), Basra, Bahrain, Dubai and Jiwani to Karachi.