Kochi: The country’s first commercial seaplane landed at Nedumbassery on Thursday and would soon head for the Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam for its first commercial take-off from there on June 2. Chief minister Oommen Chandy would officially launch the service.
“Seaplane service is the new product of Kerala Tourism. This will be a non-scheduled chartered operation, also providing the last mile connectivity to tourists, touching down at destinations like Alappuzha and Kochi. This is the smallest aircraft (six-seater) being run by Kairali Aviation and Pinnacle Aviation in a joint venture,” tourism minister Anil Kumar said.
“Five more agencies have registered with us and by the year-end, we’ll see seven to eight seaplanes (10-seater, 20 seater) picking passengers in the state,” the minister said, after officially receiving the aircraft flown in by Belgian pilot Captain Michael Fabry.
A half-an-hour ride on the amphibious aircraft would cost `4000 (on an average). For facilitating the rides, the government has set up four water dromes at a cost of `12 crore — at Ashtamudi Lake, Punnamada Lake, Kumarakom and Bekal.
31/05/13 Deccan Chronicle
To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline
“Seaplane service is the new product of Kerala Tourism. This will be a non-scheduled chartered operation, also providing the last mile connectivity to tourists, touching down at destinations like Alappuzha and Kochi. This is the smallest aircraft (six-seater) being run by Kairali Aviation and Pinnacle Aviation in a joint venture,” tourism minister Anil Kumar said.
“Five more agencies have registered with us and by the year-end, we’ll see seven to eight seaplanes (10-seater, 20 seater) picking passengers in the state,” the minister said, after officially receiving the aircraft flown in by Belgian pilot Captain Michael Fabry.
A half-an-hour ride on the amphibious aircraft would cost `4000 (on an average). For facilitating the rides, the government has set up four water dromes at a cost of `12 crore — at Ashtamudi Lake, Punnamada Lake, Kumarakom and Bekal.
31/05/13 Deccan Chronicle
