SINGAPORE—ST Engineering’s AirX signed a letter of intent with Turkey’s Eurasia Mobility Solutions for 10 AirFish 8 Wing-in-Ground (WIG) aircraft, with options for 10 more, in what would be the platform’s first customer.

ST Engineering says the aircraft will be used for tourism and private transportation sectors

In line with ST Engineering’s vision for the WIG platform, the planned entry-into-service date would be sometime in 2025, with deliveries to follow in the near-term future.

The company told Aviation Week in January that each AirFish 8 costs in the region of $3-5 million per aircraft, suggesting a potential order of value of at least $30 million from the prospective customer.

The AirFish 8 can carry two crew members plus 1,300 kg (2,900 lb.) of cargo, or eight passengers, over 250-300 nm.

Turkey’s Black Sea is one of the key markets identified by AirX, in addition to Australia, the Caribbean, Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture and the city of Aomori, the Maldives, Southeast Asia, and the U.S.

“We are happy to introduce an innovative transportation model using a brand-new technology to Turkey, a country surrounded by the sea on three sides,” Eurasia Mobility Solutions founder Kubilay Ilgin says. “As an alternative mode of transportation, AirFish 8 offers a safe, sustainable and faster solution to conveniently reach places without any port or runway.

“Faster than existing air and marine travel options, this new technology will change the rules of marine transportation and create new trends in Turkey."