In an effort to promote tourism, the Civil Aviation Ministry has given green signal to start seaplane service between river Brahmaputra in Guwahati and river Umiam in Meghalaya’s Shillong.
Informing this, Shillong MP Vincent Pala said that after discussion with the the Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu regarding the matter, the union minister had approved the idea, reports TST.
Seaplanes, which are powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing (alighting) on water, can also take off and land on airfields. It is also called as amphibious aircraft.
According to the report, last year, the Civil Aviation Ministry approved a proposal for setting up water aerodromes in the country.
Chilika lake in Odisha, Sardar Sarovar dam and Sabarmati river front in Gujarat were identified in the first phase for setting up water aerodromes.
It has also been reported that the Airports Authority of India has already identified sites in Odisha, Gujarat, Assam, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh for developing water aerodromes.
In June last year, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued regulations with details about the procedures and requirements for licencing of water aerodromes.
Regarding air services from Shillong airport, Pala said in a recent meeting, he had urged airline authorities like Spice Jet and Indigo to start operations in Meghalaya.
Pala also said he had asked the Civil Aviation Minister to set up a training centre at the Shillong airport so that youth of the state, who are interested for a career in the aviation sector, can be trained.