Seaglider routes connecting Abu Dhabi and Dubai are expected to take just 30 minutes and cost each passenger Dh200 ($54), developers have said.
Made by US firm Regent Craft, the Viceroy Seaglider can carry up to 12 passengers and fly at a maximum 290kph.
It is on display at the Dubai Airshow and offered a glimpse of the rapidly expanding mobility services planned for the UAE.
As well as running passenger services around the world, recent demonstrations in the US showed the Seaglider’s capacity to carry out high-speed military missions and medical rescues.
With boats limited by speed and helicopters constrained by stability and availability, Seaglider vessels can fill a gap, its designers say.
The aircraft has a 1,500kg payload and can cover about 2,600 in its hybrid form before refuelling is required.
Billy Thalheimer, Regent co-founder and chief executive, told ARN news: "It operates in three modes: floating on the hull, rising above the water’s surface on hydrofoils and flying about 10 metres off the surface of the water.
“Regent has a massive global backlog for these Seagliders as they are low-emission, low-cost and high-speed modes of transport for coastlines all over the world." He added that "with so many customers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Europe" the plan was to build a production plant in the UAE, with Regent now in the process of choosing a site for a factory in the UAE to expand its global operations.
A joint venture with the Strategic Development Fund, which is owned by the Edge defence company, the plan is to bring production, maintenance and training to the UAE.
A US manufacturing plant is due to open in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, next May, with the first orders due to be completed by the end of 2027. The aim is to open a UAE factory by 2029.
Mr Thalheimer said there was already a queue of potential Seaglider customers in the UAE, so the craft "could be used here from as early as 2027”. He added: “I’m excited for the Dubai-to-Abu Dhabi mission, which would take under half an hour, for a price of Dh200-250 range.”
Hitching a ride with the Seaglider would be as easy as catching a ferry. The vehicles float, foil and fly using similar hydrofoil technology used by America’s Cup racing yachts.
Once it has built up enough speed, the craft rises from the surface to fly at low altitude to its destination.
The Seaglider can be also used for freight and cargo partnerships with Aramex and DHL have already been announced. Electric propulsion technology means the craft has relatively with low maintenance and operational costs.
Tom Huntley, general manager of Regent Defence and a former rescue helicopter pilot, said the craft had performed well in US sea trials.
“The Marine Corps challenged us with real-world scenarios and the Seaglider prototype performed exceptionally,” he said. “From rapid response and precision manoeuvring, to medical loading and transport, these demonstrations underscore how Seaglider vessels can help keep service members safe and get them to higher levels of care when they need it most.”
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Roma 4
Milner (15' OG), Dzeko (52'), Nainggolan (86', 90 4')
Liverpool 2
Mane (9'), Wijnaldum (25')
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 0
Liverpool 2 (Mane 50', 54')
Red card: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
Man of the match: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
DUBAI WORLD CUP RACE CARD
6.30pm Meydan Classic Trial US$100,000 (Turf) 1,400m
7.05pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
8.15pm Dubai Sprint Listed Handicap $175,000 (T) 1,200m
8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group Two $450,000 (D) 1,900m
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,800m
10pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
The National selections
6.30pm Well Of Wisdom
7.05pm Summrghand
7.40pm Laser Show
8.15pm Angel Alexander
8.50pm Benbatl
9.25pm Art Du Val
10pm: Beyond Reason
MO
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Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%201.9km%20King%20Salman%20Boulevard%2C%20a%20Parisian%20Champs-Elysees-inspired%20avenue%2C%20is%20scheduled%20for%20completion%20in%202028%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20Royal%20Diriyah%20Opera%20House%20is%20expected%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20four%20years%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%20first%20of%2042%20hotels%2C%20the%20Bab%20Samhan%20hotel%2C%20will%20open%20in%20the%20first%20quarter%20of%202024%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20On%20completion%20in%202030%2C%20the%20Diriyah%20project%20is%20forecast%20to%20accommodate%20more%20than%20100%2C000%20people%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20%2463.2%20billion%20Diriyah%20project%20will%20contribute%20%247.2%20billion%20to%20the%20kingdom%E2%80%99s%20GDP%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20It%20will%20create%20more%20than%20178%2C000%20jobs%20and%20aims%20to%20attract%20more%20than%2050%20million%20visits%20a%20year%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20About%202%2C000%20people%20work%20for%20the%20Diriyah%20Company%2C%20with%20more%20than%2086%20per%20cent%20being%20Saudi%20citizens%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Specs
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Torque: 175Nm
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
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Company%20Profile
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