Assam will get two water aerodromes in Guwahati riverfront and Umrangso reservoir for operation of seaplanes under the third round of Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) scheme.
Spice Jet has been selected to operate seaplanes from both the aerodromes in Guwahati and Umrangso in Dima Hasao district, reports The Telegraph.
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According to the civil aviation ministry, the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) has allowed flight operations through seaplanes from six select water aerodromes under the third phase of UDAN, two of which are in Assam.
However, the types of seaplanes that will be allowed to operate include seaplanes with capacity of nine seats(Category 1A) and seaplanes with a capacity of nine to twenty seats (Category 1).
According to DGCA, an entity seeking to set up water aerodrome has to take approval from various authorities including the ministries of home, defence, environment and forests and shipping.
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The civil aviation ministry has included Calcutta-Shillong-Calcutta and Guwahati-Lilabari-Guwahati, Guwahati-Tezpur-Guwahati and Guwahati-Pasighat-Guwahati routes in the third round of UDAN scheme which will be made operational from April 1.
A water aerodrome is an area of open water used regularly by seaplanes or amphibious aircraft for landing and taking off.
The UDAN is a regional airport development scheme of the Centre for making air travel affordable and boost the economic development of the country.