A last attempt to revive the seaplane project before the tenure of the United Democratic Front government ends has commenced with the arrival of the U.S.-made amphibian aircraft Quest Kodiak 100 in the State capital from Colombo.
The 10-seater seaplane, which belongs to Seabird Seaplane Pvt. Ltd, landed at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport on Monday even as the operators were awaiting the nod from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for the test flight.
Since the amphibian aircraft is yet to be registered in the country, it has been shuttling between the island nation and Kochi since it first arrived in October last from the South St. Paul airport in the U.S. The company has commenced operations between Kerala and Lakshadweep.
The operators will meet Minister for Tourism A.P. Anil Kumar and Kerala Tourism officials in the capital on Tuesday to work out the way forward, official sources told The Hindu . Sooraj Jose and Sudhiesh from Kerala are among the crew and the aircraft can carry eight passengers.
“We have got the DGCA clearance for the waterdromes. The operators are awaiting the nod for the test flight and to complete the registration formalities,” an official said. Kerala Tourism Infrastructure Limited (KTIL) is the nodal agency for the flagship project.
The inaugural flight of the Cessna 206 H amphibian aircraft from Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam was forced to return without landing on Punnamada Lake in Alappuzha on June 2, 2013 following protests from fishermen. Since then, the government has been trying to revive it.
An expert committee, headed by Tourism Secretary Suman Billa, which looked into the issue, had observed that the apprehensions that the waterdromes at Ashtamudi, Punnamada, Munnar, Bolgatty, and Bekal would reduce fishing area “were prima facie unfounded.” The committee had also recommended shifting of the waterdrome from Punnamada Lake to Vattakayal, which has less fishing activity. “This will need just two or three days,” the official said. The government has not been able to overcome opposition from the fisherfolk despite several rounds of talks. The promised demonstration flight to take them into confidence is yet to be carried out. “This will be carried out once the DGCA nod is obtained,” he added.
