WAITING TO TAKE OFF

India's coastline and waterways present immense potential for seaplane operations, particularly for regional connectivity and tourism, yet seaplane operations are yet to take-off despite many attempts. While challenges like infrastructure and commercial viability persist, strong government initiatives, including revised regulations and financial support, are required to establish a sustainable seaplane ecosystem, examines ATUL CHANDRA

- ATUL CHANDRA

ndia's booming domestic commercial aviation market is often taken as a sign of the untapped potential of other aviation segments related to regional air travel, business aviation, Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) and more lately seaplane operations. India has always been considered an ideal territory for seaplane operations due to its long coastline and many island chains in addition to riverine terrain in many parts of the country. When combined with the use of seaplanes for regional air travel and tourism, there appears to be a natural synergy for their growth in India.

Seaplane operations have been in the news for over a decade, having first started in the Andamans in 2010, when state-owned Pavan Hans began 'Jal Hans' operations with a single Cessna Caravan 208 nine seater aircraft. At the time, Pawan Hans had stated that by 201213, the number of such aircraft operating all across India could grow to between 20 to 40 aircraft. Pawan Hans had taken the amphibious aircraft on wet lease but the pilot project closed down in six months as it was unviable.

In the recent years, the Government of India and Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) have been making strenuous efforts to accelerate the growth of seaplane operations in India. In a major milestone, it was in October 2020 that a seaplane service was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi between Kevadia and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. India has a 7517 km long coastline and an extensive network of rivers and lakes, which present a unique opportunity for the development of seaplane operations as a viable business model and one that can boost regional transport and tourism. However, sustaining seaplane operations and making them commercially viable has been an issue for over a decade now.

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