Thursday, December 24, 2020

Seaplane services to resume from Dec 28 with new ‘decade-old’ aircraft

Vadodara/ahmedabad: A month after the Twin Otter 300 seaplane flew back to its home country in the Maldives for a ‘scheduled maintenance’, a new aircraft is set to reach India to resume the seaplane service connecting Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad and the Statue of Unity at Kevadia in Narmada district by December 27, the Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Company Limited (GUJSAIL) said Wednesday. The seaplane operations, which have been suspended since November 28, will resume on December 28, it said.

SpiceJet officials said the aircraft being brought in will be newer and “about a decade-old”. The bookings for the Ahmedabad-Kevadia seaplane route have commenced from December 28, they added.

Officials said the government had conveyed to the SpiceJet, which is operating the seaplane under the subsidiary SpiceShuttle, the company must fetch a “younger” aircraft that is not “fatigued” to ensure longevity.

SpiceJet has a wet-lease with Maldivian Aero, which is responsible for the operations, maintenance, insurance and crew of the aircraft. The aircraft, brought in for the inaugural run, has received much criticism for being “old”.

“The government has expressed its view that a younger aircraft would be more suitable for the operations as the increase in the number of daily trips is on cards, along with a second phase of the water aerodrome operations between Ahmedabad and Palitana. The older aircraft was fit to fly but it is true that it wouldn’t have the same longevity as a new aircraft,” a SpiceJet official said.

24/12/20 Aditi Raja/Sohini Ghosh/Indian Express

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