India’s first seaplane : Things to know about flying machine ‘Spice Shuttle’

India first seaplane

Prime Minister on 31 October 2020 launched India first seaplane service between the Statue of Unity near Kevadiya in Gujarat’s Narmada district and the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad. This is India’s first-ever water aerodrome and Seaplane service. The Prime Minister travelled in the plane on its inaugural run that the commute with the PM on board the twin- engine plane would take around 40 minutes, and cover a distance of around 200 kilometers. PM Modi who is on a two-day visit to Gujarat on 31 October 2020 paid tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on his birth anniversary at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia. With October 31 also being observed as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day) across the country, the Prime Minister attended a parade to mark the occasion.

 Things to know about the flying machine ‘Spice Shuttle’:

1. The first seaplane project of the country is part of a directive of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.
2. As per the directive, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) requested state governments of Gujarat, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and the administration of Andaman & Nicobar to propose potential locations for setting up water aerodromes to boost the tourism sector.
3. A seaplane is a fixed-winged aeroplane designed for taking off and landing on water.
4. It offers the public the speed of an aeroplane with the utility of a boat.
5. There are two main types of seaplane: flying boats (often called hull seaplanes) and floatplanes.
6. The bottom of a flying boat’s fuselage is its main landing gear.
7. This is usually supplemented with smaller floats near the wingtips, called wing or tip floats.
8. The hull of a flying boat holds the crew, passengers, and cargo; it has many features in common with the hull of a ship or a boat.

What impact will it have on the environment?

1. The water aerodrome is not a listed project/activity in the Schedule to the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 and its amendments.
2. However, the Expert Appraisal Committee was of the opinion that the activities proposed under the water aerodrome project may have a similar type of impact as that of an airport.
3. In Narmada, the Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary is located at an approximate aerial distance of 2.1 km from the proposed project site in south-west direction while the nearest reserve forest is situated at a distance of 4.7 meters in east direction, which serves local sensitive species of fauna.
4. The bathymetric and hydrographic survey was conducted by Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) before finalising Dyke 3, which is a rock-filled pond and popularly called the ‘Magar Talav’ as it is infested with crocodiles.
5. Work on evacuating crocodiles from the lake has been on since January 2019, after which mesh fencing of the boundary was also completed to prevent crocodiles from re-entering from the connecting Dyke 1 and 2.
6. The site was finalised for the terminal as its dimensions suit the requirements of landing the seaplane, which requires a minimum width of 900 metres in a water body with a depth of at least six feet.

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