Karnataka govt plans to develop nine water aerodromes across state to boost tourism

“The water aerodromes will offer the public the speed of an aeroplane and the utility of a boat and increase tourism activities in various parts of the state,” Somanna said.

In India, seaplanes were first launched by Jal Hans, a commercial seaplane service based in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as a pilot project on December 30, 2010 by the then Indian Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel. The seaplanes had a capacity of 10 passengers.

In October 2020, seaplane services began in Gujarat marking the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel. The first flight took off from Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad to the Statue of Unity in Kevadia Colony in the Narmada district.

In December 2021, Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) had signed an MoU with the Ministry of Civil Aviation for development of non-scheduled/scheduled operation of Sea Plane Services within the territorial jurisdiction of India under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) – UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme.

On Wednesday, Somanna, while speaking at the state-level consultative workshop to formulate a Comprehensive Civil Aviation Policy for Karnataka, had said that the state government is formulating a robust civil aviation policy which will, according to him, boost the state’s economy in various sectors such as industry, horticulture, export of agricultural products, tourism, emergency medical services, education and technology.

The minister also said the state government is working on the feasibility report and detailed project reports to set up helipads in Madikeri, Chikmagalur and Hampi to boost tourism in the region.