HYDROPLANE TRAFFIC IN PULA ACTUAL STATE AND PRACTICE Florijan Veneruzzo Pula Port Authority

INTRODUCTION Aviation plays a significant role in the national economy and the economy of each country and its transport connections. Every community, large or small, requires transport links. Hydro base or port serves aerospace community as a marina for small boats. Those who serve hydroplane flight and aviation-related activities, use hydro base port as a center of its activities, for commercial and recreational purposes, and are places of business and tourist activity and employment in a variety of core and additional air service industries. As a means of transport, seaplane, amphibious particular, is a transport service that can not be achieved on any other type of aircraft or other means of transport. Where are available water landing fields, seaplane aircraft combines the speed of a plane and accessibility of a boat and in that way offers a transport service that is undoubtedly in the highest place in air transport.

Hydroplane transport in EU Europe is a particular geographical area and naturally developed with good preconditions for the development of a regional system of air passenger traffic using seaplanes: - There are about 1,400 hydroplane base (built or natural) The most densely populated regions, the nearest hydroplane base is away less than 40 km for more than 95% of the population (less than 20 km for 80% of the population) For most European cities the nearest hydroplane base is 20 km away (for 80% of cities) A significant part of the European population (potential travelers) live near hydroplane base - about 100,000 residents within 40 miles of hydroplane base 20% European (26% EU) residents living in the area gravitating seaplanes base The number of tourists travel to regions that are gravitating to hydroplanes bases is not less than 130 million

Hydroplane transport in EU (cont.) Accessibility of transport infrastructure in Europe is shown here on the picture as blue and green areas with low accessibility for transport infrastructure. Europe is surrounded by ocean and sea, with numerous lakes and rivers, and a large number of islands. One of the objectives of the EU's long-term planning area is to ensure regional development (industrial and tourism), for which is a prerequisite - good accessibility. Multimodal approach potential determines the quality of transport infrastructure, transport modes (car, train, plane) and the hydroplane transport shows great potential improving accessibility.

Hydroplane operators in EU In the world are registered over 300 hydro aircraft operators, of which about 80% of the operators are located in the U.S. and Canada, while in Europe about 8%. European civil aviation hydro operators that perform commercial flights, regular and charter, scenic flights and taxis, private flying, and flying club and school. In 19 countries in Europe it is a total of 32 registered operators of hydro plane: UK 7 Sweden 6 Norway4 Italy 2 Malta 1 Netherlands 1 Germany 3 France 2 Greece 2 Finland 3 Cyprus 1 Austria 1

EU PROJECT ADRI - SEAPLANES Pilot project promoted by ADRI-SEAPLANES intended to verify the effective functioning of a seaplane line, through: Adaptation of existing port infrastructures, so as to allow the takeoff / landing of seaplanes; Creation of a temporary test seaplane line which will carry out a series of flights among the ports involved in the project and relevant service evaluation; Creation of a web-booking system.

EU PROJECT ADRI – SEAPLANES (cont.) Ports of the project partners countries (Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Greece), although close in terms of nautical miles, are connected only by maritime lines and not by direct flight connections. Seaplane is a widespread means of transport in the world for it does not require heavy infrastructures and is extremely flexible as regards the takeoff landing waterways, allowing to easily reach destinations otherwise difficult to be accessed by other means of transportation. ADRI- SEAPLANES project aimed at setting the best basis for the creation, by private operators, of stable and direct connections via seaplanes, among ports of: Giulianova and Brindisi (Italy), Pula (Croatia), Bar (Montenegro), Vlore (Albania) and Corfu (Greece). The projects intends to achieve this objective through: 1) The harmonization of infrastructural, operational and normative conditions in order to facilitate and attract investments from European Union Countries; 2) The equipment or adaptation of small port infrastructure, so as to achieve the status of seaplane base; 3) The involvement of local private stakeholders in the project, being these indirect beneficiaries of the result of the project itself; 4) The support of the system at political and institutional level through the creation of an "Adriatic Seaplane Committee", whose main purpose is to enlarge the system to other Adriatic ports.

HYDROPLANES TRANSPORT IN PULA Pula has the longest tradition of hydroplane traffic on the Adriatic coast. This is supported by the fact that during the Austro- Hungarian Monarchy, the first funds for the establishment of Naval Aviation were secured already in 1911 when was established the first Naval Air Station in Pula on the island of St. Katarina, where were experimented with first homemade hydroplanes. In April 1913, the Austro-Hungarian Navy used seaplanes for reconnaissance, photography and messages delivery along the coast.

HYDROPLANES TANSPORT IN PULA TODAY The company European Coastal Airlines - ECA, which is the concessionaire of the Port Autohority of Pula, over a period of five years has managed to include Pula among its destinations, including setting up the sea landing strip, and other infrastructure necessary for this kind of transport. ECA is a seaplane operator based in Zagreb, Croatia and found in the year Ever since it is working on the infrastructural project to start regular seaplane operations to connect major cities and islands along the croatian coast with each other. The project was recognized and is supported by various key figures of the European Union, such as namely the german chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as by the AdriSeaplanes project - a project which is co-funded by the European Union and the IPA - Adriatic Cross-Border Cooperation Program. The goal is to connect all 66 inhabited islands of Croatia as well as at a later stage expand operations to Italy, Monaco and Greece. The project is a multi-million euro investment and will create around 400 new jobs in the Republic of Croatia.

CONCLUSION Seaplane transportation in port of Pula seriously started on April 8 of this year, and during the next period is expected further development of infrastructure and general development of such mode of transport. It should be emphasized that, it would be impossible to imagine such type of connection between island and the coast without close cooperation of local government and the aforementioned company.

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