BackGujarat Seaplane tickets selling like hotcakes; which routes may SpiceJet open next
Seaplane service is operated by SpiceJet's fully-owned subsidiary, Spice ShuttleAs of now, daily two flights will be operated on the Ahmedabad-Kevadiya route
PremiumOverwhelmed by the response to the Ahmedabad-Statue of Unity seaplane service, SpiceJet plans to start a similar service connecting Surat in south Gujarat with the Statue of Unity. The service is operated by SpiceJet's fully-owned subsidiary, Spice Shuttle. On 31 October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a seaplane service between the Statue of Unity near Kevadiya in Gujarat's Narmada district and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. He inaugurated the service by boarding the twin-engine plane from pond-3 close to Sardar Sarovar Dam near Kevadiya.
Other routes for the seaplane service
Other routes and destinations which are under consideration for the seaplane service are Port Blair to Havelock, Delhi to Haridwar, Delhi to Rishikesh and Naini lake, Udaipur, Dal lake, Leh and backwaters in Kerala, Spicejet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh said, news agency PTI reported.
PM Modi took the inaugural flight
The Prime Minister boarded the 18-seater plane from a pond near Sardar Sarovar Dam and landed at Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad on Saturday afternoon after covering the distance in about 40 minutes. It takes around 4 hours by road to reach Kevadiya from Ahmedabad by road.
Ahmedabad-Statue of Unity: Daily flights
As of now, daily two flights will be operated on the Ahmedabad-Kevadiya route from today.
Ahmedabad-Statue of Unity Seaplane ticket fare
The all-inclusive one-way fares will begin from ₹1,500 and go up to ₹5,000 under the UDAN scheme.
Bookings
SpiceJet has already got around 3,000 booking requests in two days, Singh said. Majority of the booking requests belong to the Ahmedabad region.
All you need to know about seaplanes
Seaplanes are typically fixed-wing aircraft with a much fewer number of seats and can take off from, and land on, water. They have been in use since 19th century. Seaplane flies at a very low height, has a manual system for all the operations. Its takeoff and landing operations demand more skill from the pilot as its operations have to be carried out from a liquid (water) surface.
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