Vijayawada: The pristine green hills.. the waterways... the skyline, the state is set for the rare excursion. For the first time in the country, 'seaplane' has been inducted into tourism with the flagging of the trial run from Punnamighat in Vijayawada to Srisailam by chief minister Chandrababu Naidu, flanked by civil aviation minister Rammohan Naidu and many officials of the central and state governments. The delegates had their maiden experience of the journey in the 14-seater amphibian vehicle.
The service would be jointly organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) and the state government, which intends to utilise seaplanes to develop the aviation sector.
After grabbing global attention for hosting the international drone conference, the state is arousing travellers' curiosity with the seaplane service. The 150km Vijayawada-Srisailam water route will also have air connectivity as the seaplane can fly at an altitude of 1,500 feet. Officials say the idea is to allow tourists to experience the natural beauty by making them fly at lower altitudes, for which permission has been taken from the ATC.
This super exciting journey will take just 30 minutes including 10 minutes for take-off and landing, leaving the passengers airborne for 20 minutes. The vehicle doesn't need a runway like a normal aircraft as it can operate on the water. A floating jetty has been set up at Punnami Ghat while the existing jetty will be used temporarily in Srisailam. Additional arrangements have been made by installing ramps on the jetties for ease of boarding and deboarding.
The state government is expanding the aviation sector to connect to remote areas with tourism potential. Seaplanes will help in areas where runaways are not available. The development of water aerodromes is less time and fund-consuming
The Center is mooting to develop water aerodromes under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS). Accordingly, seaplane services are being promoted. The Center said facilities provided under the Udaan scheme apply to the seaplane tourism sector. The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has proposed to make seaplane services available to areas with water projects. As part of this, Prakasam Barrage has been selected as the first launch centre. In addition to promoting coastal tourism in the state, the government is considering seven more areas -- Araku, Lambasinghi, Rushikonda Kakinada, Konaseema, Tirupati, and Srisailam -- to provide unique travel experiences to the people.
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