In news– The Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways (MoPSW) has signed an MoU with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) for development of Seaplane(Water-Aerodromes) services.
Water-Aerodromes in India-
- There are two existing water-aerodromes in the country- at Sardar Sarovar Dam (Statue of Unity) and Sabarmati Riverfront, Ahmedabad in Gujarat.
- The first seaplane operations commenced on 31th October, 2020 between Sabarmati RiverFront in Ahmedabad and Statue of Unity in Kevadia.
- In addition to two existing water-aerodromes mentioned above, many other sites for water aerodromes have been identified in the States/UTs of Gujarat, Assam, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands.
What is a Water Aerodrome?
- A water aerodrome is an area of open water that can be used by seaplanes as well as amphibious aircraft to land and take off.
- Such aircraft are expected to take people across water faster and more safely than local boats.
- They can be built at much less cost and time, as compared to land based airports.
- They do not require physical construction of the runway and the allied infrastructure of a land based airport.
- Moreover, depending on the volume of traffic, water aerodromes may have a terminal building on the shore or on a jetty where planes can dock, and bays where they can be parked.
- The water drones are present in some island nations, especially like the British Virgin Islands.
- Also, there are few in Canada, including Yellowknife on the Great Slave Lake, Tofino on Vancouver Island and Whitehorse on Schwatka Lake.
Source: PIB
