Failed Takeoff: Why India's First-Ever Seaplane Service Stands Suspended

On 31 October 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched India's first seaplane service between the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad and the Statue of Unity near Kevadia in Gujarat's Narmada district amid much fanfare.

But less than a year later, on 10 April 2021, the service was suspended – and it remains suspended still.

This was revealed by Gujarat's Civil Aviation Minister Balwantsinh Rajput recently, as he was responding to a question raised by Congress MLA Gulabsinh Chauhan in the Gujarat Assembly, about the current status of the Ahmedabad-Kevadia seaplane service.

But why was the seaplane service, which was touted to be first of its kind in India, suspended? Who was responsible for its maintenance? And why isn't the service back up two years on?

Why Was the Service Launched?

It was on political leader Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's 145th birth anniversary in 2020 that India's 'first-ever' seaplane service was inaugurated. Prime Minister Modi was onboard the maiden flight of the twin-engine plane from Sardar Sarovar Dam to the Sabarmati Riverfront.

The service was expected to boost tourism in Kevadia where Vallabhbhai Patel's Statue of Unity, the world's tallest statue, is located. At the same time, it was meant to bring down the travel time between Kevadia and Ahmedabad (situated at a distance of about 200 km) to 40-45 minutes.

Who Was Behind the Plane's Operation?

• Spice Shuttle (a subsidiary of SpiceJet) was operating the service in Gujarat on a wet lease (a pact between two airlines) from Maldivian Aero, the national airline of Maldives

• The airlines, which had brought the seaplanes in from Maldives, was operating eight of them on the route

• Every day, the seaplane made eight trips on the prescribed route

• The trip used to start from Ahmedabad at 8 am

• The planes had 19 seats each, of which 14 were for passengers and five for crew members

• Under the scheme, Indian pilots were to be trained by foreign pilots for six months to fly the planes

• The minimum fare was Rs 1,500 while the maximum fare was fixed at Rs 4,800 per passenger

So, Why Was the Service Suspended?

Responding to Gulabsinh Chauhan's question, the state's Civil Aviation Minister Rajput said that high operating costs and difficulties in maintaining a foreign-registered aircraft led to the suspension of seaplane service.

According to a Times of India report, even during the period between October 2020 (when the service was launched) and April 2021 (when the service was suspended), various operational glitches marred the seaplane service.

For instance, by February 2021, the service had already been disrupted thrice, according to The Indian Express. The report stated that the seaplanes had to be flown to Malé, the capital of Maldives, on two occasions since the service was first flagged off.

An official told the newspaper that the since "the flight is registered in the Maldives and the aviation bodies there need to check the flight and certify that it is fit for flying. It is the property of that country."

Further, responding to a question by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Chaitra Vasava, Rajput said that the government had allocated a total of Rs 22 crore for the project during the financial years 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.

As much as Rs 13.15 crore has so far been spent on the service, he added. He also noted that the Gujarat government did not earn any income from the seaplane service.

Will the Service Resume?

Last year, Purnesh Modi, who was the state Transport Minister then, told the Gujarat Assembly, "The seaplane service was launched on October 31, 2020. The government had spent a total of Rs 7,77,65,991 (Rs 7.78 crore) on the project. It was closed for maintenance for 47 days and airline operator closed services from April 10, 2021."

He had also said that the government was "in the process of" resuming the seaplane services, for which tenders had already been issued.

What About Other Seaplane Projects?

The state government, however, told the Assembly last week that while the seaplane services in Ahmedabad continues to remain suspended, it is working on similar projects elsewhere within the state, according to The Indian Express.

The government stated that the process of choosing land for starting seaplane services in the Dharoi dam in the Mehsana district had begun.

It said work had yet to be initiated on other seaplane projects, including ones at the Shetrunji dam at Palitana, Saputara lake, and Ukai dam in Surat.