Launched in October 2020 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a bid to boost tourism, the company’s first seaplane service, is all set to take-off again. The 19-seater plane can accommodate 12 and did make some trips before it was suspended after a technical snag last November. The seaplane has been lying in Maldives since for maintenance work.
The Gujarat government has now invited companies afresh to provide seaplane services. A tender has been thrown open, inviting applications for the 45-minute service from Sabarmati Riverfront to Statue of Unity. National and international companies are eligible to bid and the last date for submission is January 11, 2022. The fresh service will be under the UDAN Scheme aegis.
Spice Shuttle, a fully owned subsidiary of SpiceJet, was stopped after a technical snag. The tickets were priced at Rs 4,800 each. On conditions of anonymity, a senior state aviation department official shared: “The company came up with different reasons when confronted by the government. At times, it said the project was not affordable and at other times, Covid was used to account for the grounding.”
Director of Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Company Ltd (GUJSAIL) Capt Ajay Chauhan said the state government is planning to resume seaplane services and offers have been invited from national and international aviation companies. This will require the approval of the Director General of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Defence and Airport Authority of India. “The process is lengthy and for now, I cannot comment any further,” he added.
