What is Seaplane?
A seaplane is an aircraft that can be airlifted or landed on the water surface. Unlike rigid surfaces required for normal aircraft. In other Language, the seaplane is a Fixed-wing aeroplane designed to land and take off on the water. It offers the speed of airplanes with the utility of a boat. The first seaplane was build in 1898 by Austrian Wilhelm Kress. The name of the first aircraft is Drachenflieger.
Seaplane in India
1st seaplane in India is inaugurated on 31st Oct 2020. This service will start in Gujarat. The route of the service will be Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmadabad to Statue of Unity in Kevadia in Gujarat. It will soon open to the general public.
It will take around 45 minutes to cover the distance. The aerial distance between two destinations is around 200km. It takes around 4 hours by road.
Who will run the service?
The first of a kind service will be provided by SpiceJet Airlines. It has signed a contract with a French company that has manufactured the seaplanes. The plane will be 19 seaters. It will able to carry 14 passengers.
Cost of the flight
It will cost 4800 Rs. for one passenger for a one-way route. Passenger can also book return tickets. As per officials, there will be 4 flights daily. Means 4 arrivals and 4 departures daily.
Seaplane in the world
Seaplanes are operations in many countries. Philippines, Canada, Australia, US, UK, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, UAE, Italy, Maldives, and Hongkong. These are some countries where Seaplane service is operational.
