Gujarat to chart course for seaplane manufacturing, operations in revised aviation policy

Gandhinagar: Buoyed by the Union budget's push to incentivise indigenous seaplane manufacturing, the Gujarat govt is set to align its revised civil aviation policy with the Centre's vision, positioning the state as a potential hub for both seaplane operations and manufacturing.The policy, currently under revision and likely to be unveiled in the coming months, is expected to introduce provisions promoting local manufacturing of seaplanes.
Alongside manufacturing, the state is also preparing to revive seaplane connectivity. Feasibility studies will be conducted to assess the viability of starting services from Ahmedabad to Dharoi, Somnath and Dwarka. "A decision has been taken to evaluate a seaplane circuit by proposing 3-4 high-demand routes and undertaking location-based studies so that the state is implementation-ready once the Centre operationalises the proposed seaplane viability gap funding (VGF) scheme," said a govt official.In her Feb 1 budget speech, the Union finance minister announced incentives to indigenise seaplane manufacturing, the creation of a dedicated VGF scheme to improve last-mile and remote connectivity, and measures to boost tourism through such services."The civil aviation policy, which currently does not contain any incentives for seaplane manufacturing, is being revised. Locations in the periphery of ports will be earmarked for possible sites to set up seaplane manufacturing units, and special incentives will be announced," said sources.The state also plans to reissue tenders for the Ahmedabad-Ektanagar seaplane service, which was launched on Oct 31, 2020, but suspended in April 2021 after operating for a few months. During the budget session of the assembly last year, the state govt informed that Rs 19 crore had been spent on the project. Waterdromes were constructed at the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad and at Ektanagar. In a written reply, the govt attributed the suspension to the Covid-19 pandemic and "operational reasons of the service operator". The project has remained suspended for almost five years.