New Delhi : The government will conduct a feasibility study to explore the possibility of having waterdromes for operating seaplanes, a senior official said. The civil aviation ministry official said some entities have expressed interest for starting seaplane operations from different parts of the country.
A waterdrome can be described as a water body that complies with certain minimum requirements for landing of an aircraft, according to the official. Seaplanes can land on water bodies, while amphibian planes can operate on land as well as on water bodies. A joint team comprising officials from the ministry, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) would be conducting the “preliminary feasibility study”, the official said.
Requirements such as minimum depth of water would be looked into and the report is expected in two months, the official added. A list of around 16 to 20 places that could be utilised as waterdromes have been suggested and the joint team would look into their feasibility aspects. Already, there is a CAR (Civil Aviation Requirement) for seaplanes.
After carrying out the feasibility study and taking into consideration other aspects, a decision would be taken on whether to fine tune the existing norms, the official added, reports PTI. The official said helicopter services provider Pawan Hans had earlier operated sea planes in Andaman area. Under the ambitious Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS), seaplanes are permitted to fly. “Operations under the Scheme will be permitted through fixed wing aircraft (including sea planes) and helicopters,” as per the final RCS document.
