NOW, SEAPLANE SERVICES TO GET AFFORDABLE, SAYS PRABHU

MUMBAI: The ministry of civil aviation is planning to bring seaplane services under Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN), a regional connectivity scheme aimed at making air travel affordable.

The move will help air travel by seaplane affordable for people, said Union civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu while speaking at a global aviation summit in Mumbai on Tuesday.

“After declaring policy for drones, the Central government will soon announce its plans for manufacturing aircraft in the country. We have also decided to incorporate seaplanes under the UDAN scheme which will help us make air travel through seaplanes affordable,” Prabhu said.

Prabhu further said that efforts for commercialisation of air travel services in the country are on . The government will not tolerate violation of security norms determined by the concerned agencies. “Aviation plays an important role in linking India to the logistics chains of the world. Soon, many logistics hubs will be created in India,” he said.

Around 1,200 delegates from 83 countries participated in the summit during which Vision 2040 for civil aviation was released. The civil aviation minister also released the Integrated Logistics and Air Cargo Policy during the summit.

UDAN was introduced to enable air operations on unserved routes for balanced regional growth and to also make air travel affordable for the masses.