REGENT, a startup developing a new-generation of wing-in-ground vehicles, and MONTE, an aircraft leasing firm focusing on sustainable air mobility, have signed a $300 million deal to provide financing solutions for this new type of electrically powered seagliders.
The agreement was announced within the framework of CoMotion’24, a mobility innovation event taking place in Miami, Florida from May 6 to 7, 2024.
UK-based MONTE will purchase 12-passenger Viceroy and 100-passenger Monarch seagliders, a type of flying vehicle that skims the surface of the water at high speeds, in order to lease them to customers.
Although technically a boat, REGENT’s seaglider has attracted a considerable amount of attention from aviation industry players, with airlines such as Japan Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Lockheed Martin becoming investors in the project.
MONTE, in line with its commitment to stimulate the development of whole sustainable mobility ecosystems, aims to finance and lease not just the vehicles, but also all the accompanying infrastructure required for their operation, such as charging infrastructure, batteries and port upgrades.
The UK-based leasing firm has been active in low and zero-carbon air mobility and recently launched MONTE Maritime, for which REGENT represents the first deal, to support the decarbonization of the maritime industry.
