Tailwind Air Service (PGN, Farmingdale) has grounded its seaplane operation after it proved unprofitable but is holding out for an investor to rescue its commuter model that hinged on its exclusive right to land in Boston Harbor for door-to-door seaplane shuttles to New York Manhattan, reports the Boston Globe.

ch-aviation has contacted Tailwind for comment.

Chief Executive Officer Alan Ram told the Boston Globe that he had been negotiating with a potential partner to revive the Boston Harbor SPB-New York Skyports SPB service this summer and buy more time to grow the business, but those efforts recently failed. Still, he was hoping for a deal that could bring the seaplanes back in 2025. "This was a great time saver for people. If we can find the right partner, we'll keep doing it," he said. The latest flights ran from April to December last year.

As reported, the company first launched its commuter model operating Cessna (single turboprop) 208B Grand Caravan EX amphibians on the Boston Harbour-Manhattan route between August and November 2021, having secured commuter authority from the Department of Transportation (DOT) in July 2021 following a five-year permit process. The route was operated as a codeshare with Southern Airways Express (9X, Memphis International). Tailwind also flew from Boston to Nantucket, Provincetown, and Plymouth, MA. From Manhattan, Tailwind also served the Long Island destinations of East Hampton, Shelter Island, Montauk, and Sag Harbour.

Its sales pitch was that seaplane shuttles to/from the East 23rd Street dock on the East River, Manhattan, to a floating pier in Boston Harbour were 40%- 60% speedier than flying from congested Boston Logan to New York JFK or New York La Guardia, or rail options.

Ram said Tailwind flew almost 3,000 passengers last year, compared with 2,700 in 2022. However, many flights were less than half full. Tailwind needed an average of five passengers per trip to cover the costs.

The original business plan was to expand the fleet from three to fifteen Cessna amphibians within 3.5 years and to serve 15 to 25 destinations within a 350-nautical-mile radius from East Coast cities. The company initially betted on demand and opportunity in the Northeast for water-to-land routes and hoped to make seaplane travel more common in the region.

In the long term, Tailwind planned to expand its operations to Florida. It would relocate half its fleet south for ad-hoc charters to South Florida, the Bahamas, and the Florida Keys during the Northeast winter season when icy conditions prevent flights between mid-December and mid-March.

For now, Ram said Tailwind would focus on its private jet charter business.