AN AMBITIOUS plan to link Southampton and Portsmouth by hovercraft has been unveiled.

The state-of-the-art service by the company Hovertravel is designed to cut motorway traffic.

Passengers would be ferried from Southsea to a landing pad near Southampton’s Red Funnel Terminal - but talks are ongoing about further details.

The scheme has been spearheaded by Tory Portsmouth council leader Donna Jones, who wants to reduce congestion by 20 per cent.

She has convinced Hovertravel, which runs a hovercraft service between Southsea and the Isle of Wight, that the plan could bring major benefits to both cities.

The 51-year-old firm is preparing a business case for the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership, who may be able to secure government funding for the project.

Cllr Jones said a study has indicated that the average journey between the cities takes around 28 minutes and she believes a 12-month trial could happen using two Hovertravel 135-seater crafts currently not in operation.

She said: “This would enable people who commute between the two cities to make that journey more quickly. It would be a huge boost for businesses who use the motorway as they would be able to get goods and services moved across the Solent far easier.

“It’s an exciting idea and we as civic leaders need to be pushing boundaries and making connections with the right people and getting things moved forward.

She added: “We need to start using the water a lot more.”

No decisions have been made about whether the hovercraft journey would include stops at other areas.

A statement from Hovercraft managing director Neil Chapman said: “Hovertravel can confirm it is in discussions with various parties, regarding both the feasibility and the longevity of a route between Portsmouth and Southampton.

“These discussions are in the very early stages and Hovertravel looks forward to working with the local councils during these initial stages.”

Hovertravel added it would consider any plans for more routes which have the potential for ‘longevity.’ The plans come after Hovertravel launched two new state-of-the-art passenger hovercrafts, Solent Flyer and Island Flyer, which were named by Hampshire-born Olympic sailing legend Sir Ben Ainslie.