Kevadiya: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the seaplane service between the Statue of Unity near Kevadiya in Gujarat’s Narmada district and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad on Saturday (October 31, 2020).
PM Modi inaugurated the service by boarding the twin- engine plane from near Sardar Sarovar Dam. The inaugural flight took off from Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad and will land at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia Colony in Narmada district.
The 19-seater plane carrying the Prime Minister will land in around 40 minutes after covering a distance of around 200 kms, officials said.
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Before boarding the plane, Modi spent some time at the water aerodrome and took details about the service.
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India’s first seaplane service
This will also be the first of its kind of Sea Plane service in the country. It will be managed by private airline SpiceJet which will operate a 19-seater plane, which will be able to accommodate 12 passengers. There will be four flights a day between Ahmedabad and Kevadia on each side — which means four arrivals and four departures.
Seaplane service ticket price and other details
The ticket price per person will be about Rs 4,800. The all-inclusive one-way fares under the UDAN scheme and tickets will be available on www.spiceshuttle.com from October 30. The aircraft will depart from the Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad at 10:15 am and will reach the Statue of Unity, Kevadia at 10:45 am.
Seaplane features
The seaplane is fitted with a twin Otter 300, efficient Twin Turboprop Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27 engines. Seaplanes can land in water bodies like lakes, backwaters and dams thus offering easy access to numerous tourist spots as well. Amphibious planes are reliable, tough and resilient and can take off and land from places that do not have landing strips or runways and water bodies, thus reaching areas that lack other modes of transport or adequate infrastructure. Reliable, tough and resilient these smaller fixed wing aircraft can land on water bodies, gravel and grass.
The prime minister is on a two-day visit to Gujarat, his first since the novel coronavirus pandemic broke out. The prime minister also paid tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at the Statue of Unity remembering the leader on his 145th birth anniversary.
Source: Zee News