NEW DELHI: SpiceJet will operate two daily seaplane flights between Ahmedabad Sabarmati riverfront and the Statue of Unity in Kevadia from Saturday (Oct 31), the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.
The all-inclusive one-way fares will start from Rs 1,500 under the UDAN scheme. The cash-strapped airline’s subsidiary, Spice Shuttle, will be using a 15-seater Twin Otter 300 aircraft that has been wet-leased from Maldivian Aero, Maldives’ national airline.
SpiceJet has won 18 seaplane routes under the government’s UDAN (ude desh ka aam nagrik) scheme and will begin with Ahmedabad-Statue of Unity.
SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh said: “The launch of our first seaplane service will be remembered as one of the most notable events in the history of Indian aviation… Our seaplane service between the Sabarmati riverfront in Ahmedabad and Statue of Unity in Kevadia will cut down travel time to just about half an hour and will be a unique, exhilarating flying experience… Infrastructural challenges have been a key deterrent for providing air connectivity to smaller towns and cities.
