AHMEDABAD: Gujarat’s ambitious seaplane project has crash-landed. The state government admitted in the Assembly on Thursday that the country’s first seaplane service was halted in April 2021. The reason: a staggering Rs 19.50 crore was spent, sunk by exorbitant operational costs.
Gujarat’s seaplane dream has hit turbulence. In response to a question by Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar, the state government told the Assembly that the Ahmedabad-Kevadia seaplane service, launched on October 31, 2020, has been grounded since April 2021. The reason: the operator suspended operations during Covid and cited high operational challenges.
Despite pumping Rs 19.50 crore into the project as of December 31, 2024, the service remains non-operational. However, the government admitted it is keen on reviving the stalled initiative.
Gujarat’s seaplane service, a high-profile project launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2020, was grounded just months later in April 2021.
Modi had inaugurated the service with a dramatic flight aboard a twin-engine seaplane, taking off from a pond near the Statue of Unity and landing at the Sabarmati Riverfront. Despite its grand debut, the project failed to stay afloat.
In February 2024, during Assembly sessions, Congress leaders raised the same question, pressing the government for answers on the seaplane service’s fate.
During the Assembly session in February 2024, the state government admitted that despite floating a tender in May 2023, no agency showed interest in restarting the Ahmedabad-Statue of Unity route.
Responding to Congress MLAs during Question Hour, Civil Aviation Minister Balvantsinh Rajput revealed that the government had already spent Rs 17.5 crore on the defunct service as of December 2023. Operational for just 80 days, the seaplane carried around 2,100 passengers before shutting down.
Despite the failed tender process, Civil Aviation Minister Balvantsinh Rajput assured the Assembly that similar services are planned for four destinations - Statue of Unity, Sabarmati Riverfront, Dharoi Dam in North Gujarat, and Shetrunjay Dam in Saurashtra.
However, despite the promise, the project remains grounded, with no service launched yet.
With the seaplane project sinking early, the central government is now eyeing air taxis as India’s next big leap in urban mobility.
These battery-powered e-VTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft promise a futuristic transport solution, mirroring models in developed nations. Among the four trial sites selected across the country, Ahmedabad and Mandvi (Kutch) in Gujarat will serve as key testing grounds, alongside two locations in Andhra Pradesh.
Gujarat is set to lead the way, becoming the first state in India to host this ambitious air taxi experiment.