India’s seaplane makes its debut,takes off to the Andamans

“India has a coastline of 7,400 km with many far-flung islands. After Andaman and Nicobar islands,we hope to launch this at Lakshwadeep,Goa,backwaters of Kerala,Gujarat,Puri in Orissa,and Sunderbans in West Bengal,” said Praful Patel,minister of state for civil aviation,at the inauguration ceremony at Pawan Hans hangar at the Juhu airport on Monday.

Patel said that 100 per cent FDI was allowed in seaplane operations sector. The eight-seater aircraft can land and take off in water,and can fly for five hours at a stretch. Aviation officials feel this makes it an ideal aircraft for improving connectivity across poorly connected islands.

It is also been touted as a means to promote tourism. Officials say seaplanes could turn out to be a cheaper option than helicopters in specific scenarios such as medical evacuation,transportation and law-and-order issues.

However,some things are still unclear. Pawan Hans is yet to chart out the cost of booking a seat on the aircraft. “The fare is still being worked out but let me assure you,it will be affordable,” said R K Tyagi,CMD of Pawan Hans Limited.

Officials said that the seaplane consumes 200 litres of fuel for an hour’s flight. “Over the next two years,at least 20-40 seaplanes must be operationable across India,” Tyagi said. The operation is yet to secure a permit for operations at the Andaman and Nicobar islands. The safety assessment of the Andaman site is not yet complete. But officials say these modalities would be completed soon.

This particular “Jal Hans” model is six years old and was flown to Mumbai from Norway by two expat pilots. India is yet to produce its own type-rated pilots for this particular aircraft but according to Pawan Hans,getting pilots for the seaplane operation is not a difficult task.