Hong Kong  - Seaplane services could be launched between Hong Kong and Macau as a way of boosting tourism if the government approves the plan, a media report said Monday.

The idea was floated by WaterfrontAir, a firm founded by Canadian entrepreneur Michael Agopsowicz, which proposed to operate a fleet of 18-seater seaplanes for the 20-minute flights to Macau, the South China Morning Post said.

WaterfrontAir plans to use DeHaviland DHC-6 Twin Otter floatplanes for the services which would compete with existing helicopter flights operated between Hong Kong and Macau by a company controlled by gambling mogul Stanley Ho. Similar aircraft operate seaplane flights in Vancouver and the Maldives.

The aircraft would fly between a licensed water aerodrome opposite the former Kai Tak airport runway and the Pak On ferry terminal in Macau.

Tourism chiefs gave tentative backing to the scheme but pointed out that a wide range of technical issues including the impact on the environmental and marine-based activities need to be resolved.

In a letter to Agopsowicz, the transport and housing bureau said: "The Tourism Commission considers that an alternative means of fast transportation to Macau should be a [welcome] addition to enhance connectivity and choice. The seaplanes championed by you look attractive and elegant, and are good for leisure travel."

Agopsowicz plans to charge about 1,500 Hong Kong dollars (192 dollars) for a one-way trip, compared with up to 2,400 Hong Kong dollars for a helicopter trip between Hong Kong and Macau or about 150 Hong Kong dollars for a fast ferry. The seaplanes would carry up to 150,000 passengers a year according to his company's estimates.

Cathay Pacific Airways operated a flying boat service between Hong Kong and Macau in the late 1940s. Pan American World Airways operated flying boats to Hong Kong in the inter-war years as part of a wider plan to establish a network of staging posts in the Pacific Ocean. (dpa)