Praful Patel launched Jal Hans, the first
seaplane of Pawan Hans Helicopters
Limited, at a ceremony held in Mumbai
today.
Seaplanes would also be introduced in other areas of India like
Lakshadweep, Goa, Orissa. Seaplane, a
fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking
off and landing on water, is ideal
when island is far from land or when
there is no landing strip. Unlike regular aircraft, these do not require a large
runway.
This is the first time that seaplane
operations have been introduced in
India. Jal Hans is a Cessna Caravan
208. A Amphibian fitted with modern navigation features of any large jet.
With a seating capacity of 10, of which
eight are passenger seats, it can travel
up to 250 km in about an hour and
land on most calm waters. It can also
land on ground using the wheels configuration.
The first seaplane service will be
operationalised in the Andaman and
Nicobar Islands. It will connect Port
Blair with Havelock and subsequently
other islands in north Andaman. At Port Blair, it will operate from the
airport, at Havelock and Diglipur, it will
operate from a waterdromme.
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