Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government, which is currently under process to revise its civil aviation policy, aims to position the state as a potential hub for both seaplane operations and manufacturing, a news report said.

Following the Union Budget’s push to incentivise indigenous seaplane manufacturing, the policy is likely to introduce provisions that promote local manufacturing. Alongside manufacturing, the state is also planning to revive seaplane connectivity. Feasibility studies will be carried out to assess the viability of starting services from Ahmedabad to Dharoi, Somnath, and Dwarka.

A government official told TOI that a decision has been taken to evaluate a seaplane circuit by proposing three to four high-demand routes and conducting location-based studies so that the state is implementation-ready once the Centre operationalises the proposed seaplane viability gap funding (VGF) scheme.

In her February 1 Budget speech, the Union Finance Minister announced incentives to indigenise seaplane manufacturing, the creation of a dedicated VGF scheme to improve last-mile and remote connectivity, and measures to boost tourism through such services.

The state also plans to reissue tenders for the Ahmedabad–Ekta Nagar seaplane service, which was launched on October 31, 2020, but suspended in April 2021 after operating for only a few months. The project has remained suspended for nearly five years. DeshGujarat