With PM Narendra Modi as passenger, seaplanes take off on India journey in grand style

Ahmedabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves to the crowd as he boards a seaplane on the Sabarmati river front in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. PTI Photo by Santosh Hirlekar(PTI12_12_2017_000017B)

What earlier used to be one of Hollywood's favourite scenes, seaplanes have now found their way in India with Gujarat elections being its first voyage.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi pulled the curtain down on his election campaign with a journey aboard a seaplane from Sabarmati river to Dharoi dam in Mehsana district.

The first trial flight was, however, taken by Minister for Shipping and Road Transport Nitin Gadkari. The test was carried out with Setouchi's 10-seater Kodiak Quest 1000 seaplane. The minister said there is a lot of potential for seaplanes in India and domestic production could bring down manufacturing costs.

A team comprising members from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been formed to look into the feasibility of operation of seaplanes also known as amphibious flights in India.

The move comes weeks after a meeting between all stakeholders to look into the conditions necessary for seaplanes to function.

Budget carrier SpiceJet has also made its intentions clear of rolling out seaplanes in Mumbai within a year, after a failed attempt by a Juhu-based aviation company around three years ago.

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