Guidelines for Seaplane Operations in India

Syllabus: GS3/Infrastructure

Context

• Union Minister for Civil Aviation, has launched the Guidelines for Seaplane Operations in India under RCS-UDAN.

About Seaplane Operations

• Seaplanes can land and take off from the sea.
• Waterdromes are for landing and taking off seaplanes.
• India had seaplane operations in Andaman & Nicobar as well as in Gujarat but they couldn’t sustain for long. 
• The government plans to set up water aerodromes at 18 places spread across Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep, Goa, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. 

Guidelines for Seaplane Operations

• The relaxed norms are aimed at encouraging seaplane operations under the regional air connectivity scheme UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik).
• The guidelines prioritise the safety and security of seaplane operations and clearly outline the responsibilities of each stakeholder, from the operators to the regulatory bodies.
• There will be no need for a waterdrome license and compliance requirements have also been reduced. 
• Fresh Commercial Pilot License (CPL) holders can now directly obtain seaplane ratings that will allow them to fly seaplanes.
• The revised regulations incorporated easier training requirements and simplified approval processes for seaplane operations.
• The new guidelines allow non-scheduled entities to operate such services and put in place a simplified certificate process. 

Other Initiatives

• The minister also launched the 5.4 version of the UDAN.
  • Under UDAN 5.4, fresh bids would be invited for the routes which were cancelled for some reason or the other, to provide connectivity on unserved routes. 
• After the success of RCS-UDAN, the government is considering to propose RCS-UDAN 2.0 for the next 10 years.

Significance

• The integration of seaplanes into the existing aviation system will provide last-mile connectivity to the regions that have remained isolated due to geographical challenges. 
• This new mode of transportation will provide faster and more comfortable travel to these areas but also open up new avenues for economic growth, particularly in the tourism sector.
• The country is uniquely positioned to leverage the potential of seaplane operations and the government is committed to unlocking the potential and transforming coastlines, rivers, lakes, and islands for connectivity, avenues of economic opportunity, and pathways to inclusive development. 

Source: PIB