Santai Seaplane and Djuanda Centre Sign MoU to Shape Regulatory Frameworks for Seaplane Operations in Indonesia

The Djuanda Centre for Maritime and Air Law Studies (“Djuanda Centre”) and PT Santai Seaplane Aviation (“Santai Seaplane”) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a framework for collaboration to support the development of safe, sustainable, and well-regulated seaplane transportation in Indonesia.

The MoU was signed on 4 August 2026 by Nur Gemilang Mahardhika, Director of Djuanda Centre, and by Wirmandi Sugriat, CEO of Santai Seaplane, and Dennis Keller, CEO of Seaplane Asia Group.

The partnership combines two complementary strengths. Santai Seaplane brings hands-on experience as an amphibious seaplane operator in Indonesia, while Djuanda Centre contributes expertise in maritime and air law, environmental sustainability, research, and regulatory analysis. Seaplanes operate across two regulatory and physical realms at once, the air above and the water below, raising questions that no single legal discipline can answer alone.

Under the MoU, the parties will explore joint initiatives in research and analysis, public awareness, regulatory development, and academic and public engagement. Djuanda Centre will contribute its expertise in examining the legal, environmental, and operational realities at the intersection of maritime and air law, while both organizations will work together to develop knowledge and policy discussions relevant to the future of seaplane operations in Indonesia.

A central focus of the collaboration is the development of appropriate regulatory frameworks for Water Landing Sites (WLS) and seaplane operations. Through research and policy-oriented work, the parties aim to contribute to clear, consistent, and supportive regulatory frameworks capable of accompanying the growth of seaplane connectivity while maintaining appropriate standards of safety and environmental responsibility.

The MoU also provides a foundation for broader public and academic engagement. The parties may collaborate on academic articles, op-eds, digital media, public awareness campaigns, webinars, forums, and other activities designed to introduce the public and relevant stakeholders to the possibilities and challenges of seaplane transportation.

“Indonesia has always understood the sea as a space of connection rather than a boundary. Seaplanes take that idea further: water becomes not only something to cross, but a place to land. Our work has always been concerned with law not only as it exists on paper, but in the spaces and communities where it takes form, and seaplanes sit right at the intersection of maritime law, air law and environmental governance. This partnership creates a space for exactly those conversations.”

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— Gemilang Mahardhika, Director, Djuanda Centre for Maritime and Air Law Studies 

“Operating seaplanes in Indonesia means working across aviation and maritime rules every day. Clear, consistent frameworks for Water Landing Sites will allow to open new routes safely and responsibly, and to bring reliable connectivity to islands that are difficult to reach today. Partnering with Djuanda Centre gives that conversation a rigorous and independent foundation.”

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— Wirmandi Sugriat, CEO, Santai Seaplane 

“Across Southeast Asia, the main constraint on seaplane connectivity is not demand or aircraft; it is regulatory clarity and consistency. With more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia has more to gain from getting this right than almost any country in the world. We are proud to support and collaborate with Djuanda Centre’s work, and we hope it becomes a reference point for how water-based aviation is regulated across the region.”

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— Dennis Keller, CEO, Seaplane Asia Group 

As Indonesia continues to explore new forms of connectivity across its archipelago, the partnership looks toward a future in which innovation and regulation develop alongside one another, where new routes across the water are backed by sound legal foundations, responsible environmental considerations, and meaningful public understanding.

From the sea to the sky, the partnership begins with a shared belief that Indonesia’s waters can be not only spaces to cross, but spaces from which new connections can take flight.

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About Djuanda Centre for Maritime and Air Law Studies
The Djuanda Centre for Maritime and Air Law Studies is an independent research centre based in Indonesia, dedicated to advancing the study and practice of maritime and air law across four primary fields: economy; energy and environment; peace and security; and human rights. Through regulatory analysis, policy discourse, and engagement with diverse stakeholders across academia, industry, and government, the Centre seeks to bridge legal scholarship with the realities it is meant to govern. Its work examines how law operates not merely on paper, but across the spaces, communities, and environments of an evolving archipelagic nation, and how developments within these spaces resonate far beyond Indonesia’s skies and shores. More information: djuandacentremals.org

About Santai Seaplane
PT Santai Seaplane Aviation is an amphibious seaplane operator based in Jakarta, Indonesia, connecting destinations across the archipelago by air and water. Santai Seaplane is part of Seaplane Asia Group, which develops seaplane operations across Asia, including Siam Seaplane in Thailand. More information: www.santaiseaplane.com

Media Contacts
Djuanda Centre
Ms. Gemilang Mahardhika
Director
query@djuandacentremals.org
+62 812 3809 8839

Santai Seaplane
Ms. Pearla Natalia
Marketing Associate
marketing-id@santaiseaplane.com
+62(0)8999 000 933