The seaplane has been procured by helicopter company Pawan Hans. The plane can take off from and touch down on both land and sea. Civil aviation minister Praful Patel inaugurated the service on Monday to promote tourism and passenger service. By the end of the week, the plane will have started services to three spots on the islands. The plan to operate seaplanes in India is about three years old.
The seaplane service will connect Port Blair with Havelock and subsequently other islands in North Andaman to promote tourism. In Port Blair the seaplane is proposed to operate from the airport and in Havelock and Diglipur in the identified waterdrome. To facilitate safe operations, facilities for ferrying passengers from the shore to the pontoons, sanitization of the waterdrome before take off and landing, speed boat of ten passenger capacity and one stand-by boat (inflatable Gemini boat) and one floating jetty (pontoon) each in the above locations have been placed.
The seaplane operations are being introduced as a major tourist attraction. Seaplanes will also be introduced in other areas of India such as Lakshadweep, Goa, Odisha, etc. Government of India has allowed 100 per cent FDI in this sector.
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