A potential option that waterfront cities may wish to consider for increasing their available airport operational capacity is to add or expand a seaplane base. In many instances a seaplane base can be located in much closer proximity to the central business district and other key transportation nodes than an existing or proposed ground based aviation operation.

A river, lake, reservoir, bay, sound, inlet, harbor, channel, gulf, or other size-appropriate body of water could be used for establishing the seaplane base, provided the width and depth are sufficient, there is not excessive marine traffic, and no obstacles or obstructions hinder safe aircraft movements both on the water and in the air. Here is a weblink to the FAA standards.

In addition, the infrastructure and maintenance costs should be considerably less given the runways (water) already exist. Granted, in some northern climates, the runways freeze over in the winter months, but the option would be a viable alternative for much of the year. In certain locations, prolonged drought conditions could lead to temporary suspension of operations, as well.

Below is a surprisingly lengthy list of cities with public/private seaplane bases located in the United States and Canada. It is also surprising to this planner that cities such as Detroit and other large cities in Michigan, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Buffalo, or Chicagoland do not have more (or any) seaplane facilities. Meanwhile, Indiana has more in urban seaplane settings than either Michigan or Illinois.

Whether seaplane bases are a viable commercial option for urban locations is unclear and would need more in-depth analysis. But it is clear that seaplane bases are a very useful for private and charter aviation. To the extent they reduce the usage of nearby commercial airports, the seaplane bases can increase the capacity and prolong the life of existing land based operations by diverting some traffic from the airport.

Those urban areas that lead the pack when it comes to having seaplane bases include:

Anchorage, Alaska

Burlington, Vermont

Duluth, Minnesota-Wisconsin

Lakeland, Florida

New Orleans, Louisiana

New York City, New York-New Jersey

Orlando, Florida

Ottawa, Ontario-Quebec

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Portland, Maine

Seattle-Tacoma, Washington

Twin Cities, Minnesota

Vancouver, British Columbia

Warsaw, Indiana

Wheeling, West Virginia-Ohio

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Cities With Seaplane Bases