Gujarat: PM Modi inaugurates India's 1st seaplane service; all you need to know

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, October 31, launched a seaplane service between the Statue of Unity near Kevadiya in Gujarat's Narmada district and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad.

Modi inaugurated the service by boarding the twin-engine plane from pond-3 close to Sardar Sarovar Dam. Before boarding the plane, Modi spent some time at the water aerodrome and took details about the service.

The 19-seater plane carrying Modi landed on the waters of Sabarmati Riverfront in around 40 minutes after covering a distance of around 200 kms, officials said.

India's first seaplane service

The seaplane services will be started by the aviation company, SpiceJet.

SpiceJet on Wednesday said it will operate two daily seaplane flights between the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad and the Statue of Unity at Kevadia in Gujarat from Saturday.

Seaplane service ticket price, other details

"The all-inclusive one-way fares will begin from as low as Rs 1,500 under the UDAN scheme and tickets will be available on www.Spiceshuttle.Com from 30th October 2020 onwards," the airline said in a press release.

The seaplane flights will be operated by SpiceJet's subsidiary Spice Shuttle. The duration of each flight would be around 30 minutes.

The aircraft will depart from the Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad at 10:15 am and will reach the Statue of Unity, Kevadia at 10:45 am.

The services will be provided with incentives and benefits under the central government's 'Udaan' scheme. The scheme is being implemented as per a tripartite agreement between the Gujarat government, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Seaplane features

For the maiden flight, the company has procured a Twin Otter 300 seaplane, which has arrived at Kevadiya SoU jetty. 

The Twin Otter seaplane which arrived at the riverfront in Ahmedabad weighs 3,377 kilograms. Its fuel tank has a capacity of 1,419 liters. The Seaplane has a length of 15.77 meters (51 feet) and a height of 5.94 meters (19 feet), and it can fly carrying a maximum weight of 5,670 kg. Its seating capacity is 19 passengers.

Infrastructural facilities such as a floating jetty are ready at both the places of landing and takeoff at lake number 3 at Kevadiya and at the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad.

Difference between airplane and seaplane

The major difference between an airplane and the seaplane is between their methods and capacities of takeoff and landing.

An airplane's take-off and landing are from the land, while the seaplane can make take-off and land on any large water body - sea, river or lake.

Seaplane history

On March 28, 1910, Frenchman Henri Fabre flew the first successful powered seaplane, the Gnome Omega--powered hydravion, a trimaran floatplane. The seaplane is also known as a 'Flying Boat'.

In September 1919, British Company, 'Supermarine' started operating the first flying-boat service in the world, from Woolston in England to Le Havre in France. In the 1930s, as a swifter transport mode, the use of seaplane had become popular in America and Europe.

Due to seaplane, the postal services between England and Australia had become very fast with taking only 16-day.

The prime minister is on a two-day visit to Gujarat, his first since the novel coronavirus pandemic broke out. The prime minister also paid tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the Statue of Unity remembering the leader on his 145th birth anniversary.

(With inputs from agencies)