KOCHI: The seaplane of a private air taxi company confiscated by the Federal Bank at Cochin International Airport once again reiterated the lack of vision of the state government in aviation matters. Kerala was one among the states which took an early lead in starting seaplane services connecting the state with various scenic locations both inside and outside Kerala. But it jumped into the fray without a proper study and seeking its viability and it has not only cost the state dear, but also the private investors who jumped onto the bandwagon.
The project burnt a Rs 15-crore hole on the state exchequer leave alone private players who invested in the project believing the word of the state government and got their fingers burnt.
The state had spent a sum of Rs 13.57 crore till 2016 on the project and it has been spending around Rs 75 lakh for the maintenance of the waterdrome facilities for about six months. According to experts, the seaplane project is not economically feasible considering the point of view of domestic passenger traffic.
The cost involved in the seaplane air journey is higher than the normal flight and it is feasible for adventure tourism purpose and emergency operations in areas where connectivity is a major issue.
Further, the area identified for setting up the waterdrome in the state is almost two to three times higher than what a waterdrome really requires.
This invited the wrath of fishermen and the project fizzled out even before it spread wings, said Jacob K Philip, aviation expert.
Not only seaplane service, this lack of vision in aviation matters is seen in other aviation projects too. The launch of Kannur International Airport has literally clipped the wings of Mangalore and Calicut airports. As there is a big difference in the ticket fare to Gulf countries from Kannur airport compared to Mangalore airport, passengers from Kasaragod and even Mangalore are preferring the former.
But Kannur airport is yet to carve a niche in the aviation map of the state. Aviation experts have long been demanding setting up small airports and airstrips in the state.