With 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) now permitted in the helicopter and seaplane sector, the stage is set for Maldive-style air taxis to take off from the Indian seas. Also, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, which held a high-level meeting on the issue last week, has asked for regulations for seaplane operations in India, to be formulated keeping in mind viable areas like Andaman & Nicobar islands, Kerala backwaters and Lakshadweep islands.“The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been asked to formulate some guidelines for seaplane operators in India. We hope to get seaplanes in the country on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis, and are looking at either foreign players or country-based operators who will import these,” said a senior ministry official.The ministry has been considering seaplane services for some time now and had even sent a delegation from Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited (PHHL) to Maldives last year to study their air taxi model. The aircrafts, capable of taking off and landing on water bodies, have been operating in Maldives for about two decades, and is also available in the US, Canada, Bangladesh and several other countries.The ministry had planned seaplanes initially for Andaman & Nicobar islands, which face a connectivity problem to the remote pockets, but the waters there were found to be far too rough for seaplanes. “So, the seaplanes are now also being mooted for Kerala backwaters and Lakshadweep, which have calmer waters, well suited for their operations. The DGCA has been asked to keep these area in mind while preparing the guidelines,” the official added. The Lakshadweep administration hopes to address its problems of reaching other islands through induction of seaplanes. And its islands of Bangaram, Kadamat, Kalpeni, Kavaratti and Minicoy were found suitable for the operations in a study conducted on safety and operational requirements for the aircrafts. Since seaplanes are not manufactured anywhere else in the world, the ministry has been mulling over getting the Maldives air taxi operators to run the services in India as well. “We will have to engage someone for customised manufacture of seaplanes and so we are keen on a PPP model involving a foreign operators. The states can also independently engage them as we envisage in our guidelines on the service,” he added.
