In an initiative to facilitate connectivity of major cities to remote locations in the country, the Government of India is working towards the launch of a seaplane service in the country. This project is aimed at enhancing tourism in India, and increasing connectivity and will be carried out under a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) framework. The responsibility of the execution and implementation of this project has been vested with Sagarmala Development Company Ltd under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. A seaplane service between Kevadia and Sabarmati Riverfront was already launched in October 2020.

Some of the destination pairs, as per the government&rsquos plan, include the islands of Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Guwahati riverfront, Umrangso reservoir in Assam, etc. Delhi&rsquos Yamuna riverfront would be connected to Ayodhya, Tehri and Srinagar in Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, while Mumbai is to be connected with Shirdi, Lonavala and Ganpatipule, as per the seaplane operation plan. The seaplane services will also be extended to Surat, Nagpur, Chandrapur and a few other locations.

To set up the seaplane services, SDCL is attempting at harnessing the potential of the coastline and waterbodies of India that connect remote locations with &lsquohub&rsquo locations. The waterbodies will be used for take-off and landing purposes. This will be an economical solution as compared to the connectivity via air-routes and airports. The seaplane project is being viewed as a cost-saving, game-changing and faster mode of connectivity between remote locations. This connectivity will further boost tourism in certain not-easily accessible locations and open up new avenues for employment.