Hovertravel unveils patriotic new design

The two hovercraft that ply the Solent route will be emblazoned with the colours of the Union Flag.

Hovertravel has revealed the new look and announced the names for its two new craft. The striking design is a dynamic representation of the union flag which uses the red, blue and white background of the craft to create a traditional look Managing director Neil Chapman said: ‘We wanted to celebrate the Britishness of our operation.

‘The hovercraft is a British invention and, here in the Solent, over fifty years later, Hovertravel is the only scheduled passenger hovercraft service in the world. As both a local community service and an international tourist attraction we are proud to fly the flag for Britain. With images of our unique craft shared daily we are excited about the colourful impact our new fleet will make to the Solent.’

Hovertravel has also announced the names for the new fleet: Solent Flyer and Island Flyer.

‘The names of our craft are straightforward and simple; describing what our hovercraft do and where they do it’ said Mr Chapman.

‘There is a strong history of using the word “flyer” in transport to describe fast vehicles and we chose this description to combine our quickest way across the Solent with the fact that our craft fly at 1.5 metres above the water. The addition of ‘Solent’ is to identify the specific stretch of water where we operate and we added “Island” to demonstrate that we connect two islands.’

Hovertravel’s first craft, Solent Flyer, will continue its sea trials in the Solent next week and, with its sister craft Island Flyer, is due to be in service this summer.