Seaplanes to connect Andaman islands soon

Seaplanes to connect Andaman islands soon

News:

Islands in Andaman will soon be connected through seaplanes

Important Facts:

• Under the regional connectivity scheme Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN), Civil Aviation ministry has invited bidders to participate in regional connectivity program to provide transport services through seaplanes.
• The amphibious seaplanes have the ability to take off and land from places that do not have landing strips and where no runway exists. These planes can operate from sea to sea or sea to land.
• Presently 13 seaports are taken into consideration for providing services of which five are from Andaman, while the others are from dams in Gujarat and coastal areas in Kerala
• In India, 10 and 14-seater amphibious plane operations are allowed, but they have to give 50% of the seats on discounted rate, as per the conditions of the scheme

About UDAN scheme:

• 50% seats for each flight to be offered at Rs. 2500 for one-hour travel.
• Regional connectivity scheme (RCS) is applicable on route length between 200-800 kilometers with no lower limit set for hilly, remote, island and security sensitive regions.
• Viability Gap Funding to finance operators offering half of the seats at low price. Regional Connectivity Fund (RCF) to be created to meet Viability Gap Funding requirements.
• Concessions to operators in form of lowering of VAT in ATF, no landing & parking charges, free fire services etc.
• Auctioning of Areal routes
• Equitable allocation under the scheme to 5 categorized regions (North, South, East, West & North East).