Sea plane services from Delhi to Ayodhya very likely
04-January-2021

If everything goes as planned, travelling from the Yamuna riverfront to Ayodhya or from Mumbai to Shirdi for a pilgrimage via seaplane would soon become possible.

As per the latest news reports, the Sagarmala Development Company (SDCL) under the Shipping and Waterways Ministry recently issued an Expression of Interest (EoI) for seaplane services on the said seaplane routes, such as Delhi to Ayodhya, Tehri, Uttarakhand, and Chandigarh; Surat to Dwarka, Mandvi and Kandla; Mumbai to Shirdi, Lonavala and Ganpatipule; and within the archipelagos of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep.

Reportedly, the routes under the Sagarmala Seaplane Service (SSPS) will likely be operated under the government's subsidised Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) scheme.

Reports has it that those interested players from this sector have already carried out assessment of related to tourist interest, whereas the EoI is aimed at deciphering the interest of various companies. A source in the know-how stated that they explored the possibility of running such a service between Varanasi and Ayodhya. He added that although there is currently no infrastructure available for running such a service, it can be set up within a set timeline. He stated that they are now only exploring the possibilities.

As per the EoI, the government has sought a response from those interested for forming a special purpose vehicle (SPV) with SDCL to undertake joint development and operation of SSPS.