KOCHI/IDUKKI : A new chapter opened in the history of the state and its tourism sector when a 17-seater seaplane took off from the Bolgatty Palace Waterdrome in Kochi on Monday. With the successful completion of the trial flight of the seaplane ‘de Havilland Canada-6 Twin Otter’ to the Mattupetty reservoir in Munnar, doors have been thrown open for tourists to venture out to hitherto unexplored destinations, in comfort.
The development comes at a time when those in tourism industry have been repeatedly pointing out the necessity of improving connectivity and thereby reducing travel time.
The ambitious project was first envisaged during the 2011-16 Oommen Chandy government. However, it was ditched following serious objections by fisherfolk community who were against using lakes and water bodies to set up waterdromes. This time, though, with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan taking on the onus, the project has gained wings.
The trial flight was flagged off by Tourism Minister P A Mohamed Riyas. The plane took less than an hour to reach Mattupetty. “The project will work towards boosting the state’s tourism sector,” Riyas said.
He said steps will be taken to ensure the project is people-friendly so that all can enjoy the facility. With the government having decided to turn it into a water reservoir-plane project, the vision is to begin services initially from large dam sites like Banasura Sagar in Wayanad and Mattupetty in Idukki.
“However, other dams located in strategic destinations can also be used for seaplane services connecting all destinations with the four international airports in the state,” Riyas said.
Industries Minister P Rajeeve said tourism has been a significant contributor in Kerala’s rapid progress in industrial development. “Kerala has the largest number of five-star hotels in India, and four world-class hotel chain projects will soon start in Kochi alone,” Rajeeve said.
A tourism department official said the seaplane service is provided under UDAN, the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA)’s regional connectivity scheme (RCS). “There are variations to the seaplane, based on seating capacity. The seaplane that arrived for the trial flight was a 17-seater, unlike the nine-seater announced earlier,” the official said. The seaplane has 9, 15, 20 and 30-seater varieties too, the official said.
“A Switzerland-based private company and SpiceJet jointly run the services involving de Havilland Canada seaplanes. While SpiceJet operates the services, Canadian aircraft manufacturer De Havilland offers engineering expertise and assists with technical and logistical challenges,” he said.
At the same time, no decision has been taken on either the date of launch or service schedule. “A committee with representatives from the tourism department, Inland Waterways Authority and other associated departments will be formed to arrive at an action plan. Once the plan is formulated, the government will come up with a policy framework. That will happen in the coming months,” the official said. Permanent landing spots for the seaplane too have to be decided, the official pointed out. “The preferred landing places are reservoirs and lakes, like Punnamada. All these will be decided by the committee,” he said.
As for the service provider, the official said. “This was just a trial flight. The department will be calling for expressions of interest from other players in the sector before deciding on the operator,” he said.
Once the services become operational and multiple flights are chartered, CIAL can serve as the control room, he added.
The project does face some turbulence with forest department officials raising concerns that it could cause disturbances in eco-sensitive areas, like the national parks of Mannavan Shola, Anamudi Sholai, and Mathikettan Sholai, that lie in the flight path to Mattupetty.
Regular flights will disturb the elephant population in the areas near the proposed landing and take-off site, the forest department pointed out. “The proposed site is known for the presence and movement of elephants and has witnessed human-elephant conflicts. Hence, an environmental impact assessment is needed before going ahead with the project,” an official said.
However, Irrigation Minister Roshy Augustine said the forest department should not try to block the ambitious seaplane project. The government will proceed with the launch of the services at all reservoirs in the state, he said.
Seaplane project
Aim
Improving connectivity between airports, hill stations and backwaters of Kerala
Fare: Subsidised rates
Waterbodies preferred: Lakes, reservoirs
Boarding structure: Floating waterdromes
5,669.9 kg Max takeoff weight
5,579.2 kg Max landing weight
3,377 kg Weight when empty
170 knots (314.84 kmph) Max speed
150 knots (277.8 kmph) Cruise speed
58 knots (107.4 kmph) Stall speed
1,600 ft/min Rate of climb
25,000 ft Service ceiling
1,703.84 km Max range
1,419.5 litres Max fuel capacity
336.9 litres Optional long-range fuel
2 Pratt & Whitney PT6A-20 engines