Gujarat’s seaplane project, launched with much fanfare in October 2020, has remained grounded since April 2021 due to high operational costs. The state government admitted in the Assembly that ?19.50 crore had been spent on the Ahmedabad-Kevadia service, which was halted just months after its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Despite efforts to revive the project, including a tender floated in May 2023, no agency showed interest in restarting operations. The service had carried only 2,100 passengers over 80 days before shutting down.
During the February 2024 Assembly session, the Gujarat government faced renewed questioning from Congress leaders about the project’s failure. Civil Aviation Minister Balvantsinh Rajput revealed that ?17.5 crore had already been spent on the service as of December 2023. While the government had plans to introduce similar seaplane routes at four locations, including the Statue of Unity and the Sabarmati Riverfront, no new services have been launched yet, leaving the project in limbo.
With the seaplane initiative struggling, the central government is now shifting focus to air taxis as a future mobility solution. India plans to introduce battery-powered e-VTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing) aircraft, with Gujarat playing a key role in the trials. Ahmedabad and Mandvi (Kutch) have been selected as test sites alongside two locations in Andhra Pradesh, positioning Gujarat at the forefront of this emerging urban transport technology.