Gujarat Seaplane is not the 1st in India as Claimed

ONI Bureau: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a massive PR onslaught today by boarding Gujarat’s first-ever Seaplane from Sabarmati River to Dharoi Dam to visit Ambaji Temple, everyone was curious to know more about it. Indeed, for the first time, people got to see the Seaplane ride on TV channels.

However, some over-excited people, including media houses claimed that it was the first Seaplane to operate in India, which is not entirely true. However, it’s true that for the first time a Seaplane landed on a river and Narendra Modi became the first Indian PM to board a Seaplane.

Jal Hans has been operating seaplanes in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands since 2010. It was launched on 30 December 2010 by the then Indian Civil Aviation Minister, Praful Patel in Mumbai. Later, the first flight from Port Blair to Havelock Island took place on 24 January 2011.

When it comes to mainland India, the Kerala Seaplane project was launched in 2013. It went into the hurdles and then commenced in 2015.