Southwest Joins Electric Seaglider Initiative for Hawaiian Islands

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 3:15 PM ET, Mon March 18, 2024

As part of its Nonstop to Net Zero effort, Southwest Airlines is signing on to a project that's been dubbed the Hawaii Seaglider Initiative.

A new mode of transportation designed to combine the speed of an aircraft with the “relatively lower cost of a boat to reduce the time and cost” of transporting travelers, seagliders are all-electric, zero-emission vessels. They operate exclusively over water and can move at up to 180 miles-per-hour, which dramatically reduces travel time.

Seagliders function by floating on their hull before transitioning to “wave-tolerant underwater hydrofoils” and then take flight at ultra-low altitudes about 30- to 60-feet above the surface of the water. The vessels are being designed by Rhode Island based manufacturer REGENT.

The Hawaii Seaglider Initiative (HSI) was first announced in January and includes a broad coalition of partners. Some of the high-profile corporate and community partners supporting the effort include AES Hawaiʻi, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Hawaii Building & Constructions Trades Council, Hawaiʻi Lodging and Tourism Association, Japan Airlines, Maui Hotel & Lodging Association, Mokulele Airlines, Molokaʻi Chamber of Commerce, Polynesian Adventure, and United Airlines.

The coalition has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) to make the project a reality. HDOT has said that it is supportive of alternative forms of interisland transportation in Hawaii that rely upon renewable energy for passenger and freight services.

Southwest Airlines is the latest partner to join the HSI coalition, announcing its decision late last week. As part of its membership in the initiative, Southwest will partner in funding a research study that will help provide greater understanding of the feasibility of establishing an inter-island and intra-island seaglider network in Hawaiʻi.

"We feel it’s important to participate in the feasibility study to explore the introduction of 100 percent electric, zero direct emissions technology that aligns with our own Nonstop to Net Zero plan," the airline said.

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