Tiny Montenegro is setting itself up as a seaplane and sport flying hub

The tiny country of Montenegro in the Balkans is setting itself up as a seaplane and sport flying hub in eastern Europe.

Montenegro has already restarted the International Seaplane Regatta known as MontAdria and has recently bought a new ICON A5 amphibious aircraft.

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Seaplane flying in Montenegro dates back to 1913 when the Bay of Kotor, on the Adriatic Sea coast, was established as a seaplane base. After seaplane flying stopped during the communist years, it’s now coming back bit by bit.

“In July 2007, after years of pausing, we performed the first flights on the Skadar Lake and resumed seaplane flying activity in Montenegro,” said a statement from MontAdria.

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“We are extremely proud of our concept of networking development of airfields and seaplane water sites as the basis for strategic development of General Aviation in Montenegro and in the Mediterranean region.”

The 2023 International Seaplane Regatta MontAdria will be held from 1 -4 June with a packed schedule (see website) which involves flying to much of the country’s aviation heritage.
The ICON A5 was delivered to the MontAdria organisers by Jake Fenton of ICON Aircraft. He posted this on LinkedIn recently:

“Montenegro has incredible biodiversity packed tightly within its borders. In just 230 nautical miles, you can circumnavigate the entire country — experiencing mountains, glacial lakes, rivers, and beach fronts. A hidden gem for any adventure flyer or aviation enthusiast. With an ICON A5, this experience becomes bar none.

“I was fortunate to meet with both the Mayor of Podgorica and the International Seaplane Regatta MontAdria, as well as have a feature on national television to discuss their plans to use the A5 to not only revitalize seaplane flying as a whole, but to attract investors and develop Montenegro as a sport and water flying hub in Eastern Europe.

“As ICON Aircraft continues to expand internationally, I look forward to providing updates from these conversations. For now, flying the Balkans was certainly the highlight of both 2022 and my aviation career, says on flyer.uk