REGENT has announced that Hawaiian Airlines will become a strategic partner in the creation of a 100-seat, next-generation all-electric sea glider known as the Monarch. Thanks to the investment, Hawaiian Airlines becomes the first US REGENT design partner for Monarch, which should be commercialized by 2028.

Innovative inter-island transportation has been at the heart of our business since 1929, when we replaced steamships with airplanes. Hawaiian Airlines Director of Marketing and Communications, Avi Mannis, said: “We are pleased to be one of REGENT’s early investors and to participate in the development of the largest sea glider – a vehicle with great potential. We look forward to working with REGENT for

REGENT develops low-cost, noise and emissions surface transport compared to existing regional modes of transport, such as all-electric sea gliders, zero-emission vehicles for port-to-port transportation, and airplanes and ferries. REGENT sea gliders will offer a sustainable and reliable regional coastal transport route, especially for coastline and archipelago residents.

REGENT’s flagship sea glider, the Viceroy, is a water-only 12-seat vehicle that traverses the sea in one of three modes: hull, hydrofoil or flight. Seagliders has a range of 160 nautical miles (296 km) with current battery technology (with the ability to increase the range to over 400 nautical miles using next-generation battery technology) and will be in service by 2025. Full-scale prototypes will begin testing in 2023.