There are two existing water-aerodromes in the country- at Sardar Sarovar Dam (Statue of Unity) and Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad in Gujarat. The first seaplane operations commenced on 31th October, 2020 between Sabarmati River Front in Ahmedabad and Statue of Unity in Kevadia. Later, the same was stopped by the Selected Airline Operator (SAO) from 11th April, 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic and operational reasons.

Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) has signed an MoU with Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) for development of Seaplane services. In addition to two existing water-aerodromes mentioned above, many other sites for water aerodromes have been identified in the States/UTs of Gujarat, Assam, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands. Further MoCA is continuously engaging with the concerned stakeholders for making seaplane operations viable.

This information was given by the Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Shri Sarbananda Sonowal in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

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MJPS