 | |
| Company type | Limited Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Passenger transportation |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Headquarters | Ryde, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom |
Area served | Solent, Isle of Wight, Southsea |
| Owner | Bland Group |
Number of employees | 100-200 |
| Parent | Bland Group |
| Website | www |
Hovertravel is a ferry company operating from Southsea, Portsmouth to Ryde, Isle of Wight, UK. It is the largest passenger hovercraft company currently operating in the world since Hoverspeed stopped using its craft in favour of catamarans and subsequently ceased all ferry operations in 2005.
Hovertravel is now the world's oldest hovercraft operator,[1] and this service is believed to be unique in western Europe.[2] Although Hovertravel has claimed that it is the world's only commercial passenger hovercraft service,[3] there is a regular winter-only operator in Estonia.[4] The operator's principal service operates between Southsea Common on the English mainland and Ryde Transport Interchange on the Isle of Wight : the crossing time of less than 10 minutes makes it the fastest route across The Solent from land to land.[5] This service commenced operations in 1965, Hovertravel currently operates two 12000TD hovercraft on a single route between Ryde and Southsea. Additionally, Hovertravel has frequently operated other routes throughout the United Kingdom, typically as charter services.
- ^ "BBC – Hovercraft on the Isle of Wight". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 June 2009. Retrieved 25 September 2008.
- ^ Parkinson, Justin (9 November 2015). "What happened to passenger hovercraft?". BBC News. Archived from the original on 9 November 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
- ^ "Our Hovercraft". Hovertravel. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
- ^ "Laevaliiklus". Tytk (in Estonian). Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "Hovertravel – Homepage". www.hovertravel.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 13 September 2008.