Singapore’s holidaygoers could soon be gliding over the sea, rather than cutting through them.
Aerospace firm ST Engineering debuted the AirFish, a ten-seater craft that glides around one to three meters above the water, on Feb. 3 at the Singapore Airshow.
“For typical boats, there’s a lot of friction on the sea,” explains Leon Tan, vice president of ST Engineering AirX, the wing of the firm which oversees the craft’s design. The AirFish caters to travelers who “want point-to-point speed”, he tells Fortune, as it achieves a velocity of up to 100 knots (116 miles per hour), comparable to a light aircraft.
The AirFish harnesses the ground effect, which occurs when air becomes compressed between a wing and a surface, producing lift and reducing drag. This reduces how much energy the craft uses when it travels across the water’s surface, much like how an albatross glides for long distances with minimal energy. (The former Soviet Union was a one of the largest proponents of ground-effect vehicles, which officials dubbed ‘ekranoplans’, and considered using as military vehicles).
ST Engineering has already inked two partnerships for the AirFish, including one with ferry operator BatamFast to run trips between Singapore and the Indonesian town of Batam, with the first journeys starting in the third quarter of 2026. An AirFish can complete the journey in 25 minutes, half the time of a typical ferry.
The firm also announced on Feb. 3 that Indian operator Wings Over Water Ferries will also lease and operate up to four vessels in India by late 2026.
Tan, from ST Engineering, says the AirFish is part of the company’s shift towards making original equipment. Traditionally, it focuses on maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO); the company is the world’s largest airframe MRO provider, with facilities across Asia, Europe and the U.S.
With 2024 revenue of $8.4 billion, ST Engineering is No. 34 on Fortune’s Southeast Asia 500 list, which measures the region’s largest companies by revenue. The company was founded in 1967, and stems from Singapore’s defense industry. Over the past fifty years, it’s broadened its portfolio to include aerospace and shipbuilding.
ST Engineering hopes to bring the AirFish to other destinations including Malaysia’s Tioman and Desaru, Tan tells Fortune. He believes that Southeast Asia’s maritime travel industry holds much potential for the AirFish, given that it has several archipelagic countries like Indonesia, which comprises over 17,000 islands, and the Philippines, which has over 7,000.
The company is also experimenting with building 24- and 36-seater AirFish crafts, which can transport more passengers on each flight, Tan says. It is also looking to build 4-seater luxury AirFish crafts to cater to the ultra-wealthy demographic.
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