ST Engineering’s AirX joint venture expects its 10-passenger AirFish Voyager wing-in-ground-effect (WIG) craft will enter service later this year with Singapore ferry operator BatamFast.
BatamFast was revealed as AirFish’s launch operator on 3 February during the first day of the Singapore air show, expressing optimism in a timeline that still requires regulatory approval.
BatamFast operates ferries from Singapore across the Singapore Strait to the tourist destination of Batam, Indonesia.
Separately, ST Engineering says it reached a deal under which an Indian ferry company will operate AirFish.
WIGs are boat-aircraft hybrids designed to fly no more than several metres above the surface of the sea – generally not escaping ground effect, a condition in which aircraft experience extra lift.
Singapore-based Wigetworks originally developed AirFish and in 2023 it partnered with ST Engineering to form the AirX joint venture to bring the craft to market.
ST Engineering AirX general manager Leon Tan says AirFish requires only maritime regulatory approval, not validation from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.
Two years ago, AirX partnered with standards specialist Bureau Veritas, which is now finalising a project to confirm AirFish meets maritime regulatory requirements.
When complete, the team must still gain the Singapore maritime regulator’s stamp of approval, Tan says, adding that a maritime master holding an AirFish-specific type endorsement will skipper AirFish.
The craft will cruise at 100kt (185km/h) and fly up to 7m (23ft) above the sea. It will have 1,000kg (2,205lb) of payload, 300nm (556km) of range and power from twin General Motors-made V8s – automotive engines driving pusher props. The team chose those powerplants partly because petrol is readily available in the islands.
AirFish was initially planned to have one engine but the team switched to twin powerplants to improve manoeuvring, particularly while docking, Tan says.
The team hopes next year to begin low-rate AirFish production, a phase involving completion of six to 12 craft. Eventually it envisions scaling production to up to 36 AirFish annually at a yet-to-be decided facility, possibly elsewhere in Asia.
At least one other company is working to bring a WIG passenger craft to market – US firm Regent Craft, which is developing an all-electric design it calls a “seaglider”.
The US Federal Aviation Administration has taken interest in that project, though Regent has been seeking for its craft to only require US Coast Guard approval.
