TravTalk India Online Magazine
To boost tourism and provide last-mile connectivity, SpiceJet has launched a seaplane service between Ahmedabad and Statue of Unity, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the service. The airline has already conducted successful trial runs in Nagpur, Guwahati and Mumbai.
Manas Dwivedi
In a move that would revolutionise the country’s regional connectivity and provide a boost to travel and tourism, SpiceJet has launched its seaplane service between Ahmedabad (Sabarmati Riverfront) and the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat. The flights will be operated by SpiceJet’s fully-owned subsidiary, Spice Shuttle. The airline has secured 18 seaplane routes under UDAN. To begin with, SpiceJet is operating two daily flights on the Ahmedabad-Kevadia route effective October 31.The all-inclusive one-way fares will begin from as low as 1500 under the UDAN scheme and tickets are available on www.spiceshuttle.com.The company will be using a 15-seater Twin Otter 300 aircraft for these flights.
Ajay Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, SpiceJet, said, “The launch of our first seaplane service will be remembered as one of the most notable events in the history of Indian aviation. We at SpiceJet feel proud to have played a role in fulfilling our Prime Minister’s vision of connecting the remotest parts of the country by air. Our seaplane service between Sabarmati Riverfront and Statue of Unity will cut down travel time to just about half an hour, and will be a unique, exhilarating flying experience that would immensely boost travel and tourism. With the ability to land on a small water body, seaplanes are the perfect flying machines that can effectively connect the remotest parts of India into the mainstream aviation network.”
SpiceJet has conducted thorough seaplane trials in India since 2017. While under the first phase, trials of the land plane were conducted in Nagpur and Guwahati, the second phase involved the amphibious aircraft for which trials were held at Mumbai’s Girgaum Chowpatty. Regions in the Northeast, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andaman, Lakshadweep and other coastal areas are a few destinations that are being evaluated for amphibious plane operations.
