Context:

India’s first seaplane service in Gujarat has started on the anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, with the aim of providing air connectivity from the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad to the Statue of Unity in Kevadia.

The Project

• The first seaplane project of the country is part of a directive of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.
• For India’s first project being developed in Gujarat, the Kevadia terminal is likely to be built over 0.51 acres in the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd premise in the Panchmuli lake area.

Seaplane

• A seaplane is the amalgamation of the properties of speed and utility properties of an airplane and a boat, respectively.
• With fixed wings, a seaplane is equipped to take off and land on water
• The two types of seaplane are
  • flying boats
    • A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water, that usually has no type of landing gear to allow operation on land.
  • floatplanes
    • A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy.