Adding more zing to boost tourism

The government is finalising four private partners to provide the services

In June last year, Kerala’s first seaplane service had opened to massive hype only to be grounded, within hours, by protests from fishing communities.

A year later, promoters of the ambitious project – designed to provide last-mile air connectivity for tourists to the state’s popular destinations – claim that they have managed to address most of the fishermen’s apprehensions as they revive the service and work toward a tentative launch around September.

The initial phase is tipped to cover the circuit of Ashtamudi, Punnamada, Kumarakom, Munnar, Bolgatty and Bekal with the three airports in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Karipur to double up as base stations for these short-haul services. The promoters say the services open up a new, aerial tourist circuit offering the best view of Kerala’s celebrated green scapes and water bodies from about 6,500 feet above ground.

As part of an open sky policy adopted for the project, the state is finalising four private partners to provide the services with amphibious aircraft. Tourism Secretary Suman Billa said the companies are in the process of procuring the aircraft. A six-seater Cessna 206 amphibian aircraft was used for the inaugural service last year. “Two waterdromes have already been readied in Kollam (Ashtamudi lake) and Alappuzha (Punnamada lake). These are the two locations that would be linked in the initial stages of the service,” Billa said. The waterdromes that come with floating jetties and houseboats will be monitored by a special Waterdrome Security Group (WSG) formed under the state police. 

It was in June last year that the Department of Tourism (DoT) launched the state’s first seaplane service. Barely minutes into its inaugural flight – from Ashtamudi lake in Kollam to Punnamada lake in Alappuzha – dissent came in the form of protests called by groups of fishermen which alleged that the seaplanes and potential tourist activity could severely hit sea wealth and subsequently, the livelihood of fishing community. The service was grounded soon but the government persisted with the ambitious project through measures aimed to take the protesting coastal communities into confidence.

With the seaplanes, the DoT is hoping to realise a long-in-the-works plan to create feeder airlines to connect airports with popular destinations in the state through a circuit of beaches and backwaters. “The modalities of the private partnership are being worked out. We are working on a timeline that should help us launch the service by Onam (in September),” said Anil Kumar S, Managing Director of Kerala Tourism Infrastructure Limited (KTIL), nodal agency for the project. 

The DoT is cautious after the false start the Rs seven-crore project had last year. However, officials said the one-year delay has not led to any cost escalation because the infrastructure and the model framework are already in place; all it takes now is the aircraft to take off. And more critically, endorsement by the fishing community.The protests last year had led the government to constitute an expert committee to study potential impact of the seaplane operations on inland fisheries.
 The project, in its present form, incorporates interests of fishermen through measures that support their livelihood. The committee has Billa as the chairman and Kumar as the convenor and three others – B Madhusoodana Kurup, Vice Chancellor of Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, K G Padmakumar, former Associate Professor at Regional Agricultural Research Station, Kumarakom and K Madhu, Principal Scientist at Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute – as members. It has submitted its final report to the government where it recommends remedial measures to help fishermen increase their yield. 

The services are scheduled only during day hours. The promoters maintain that the waves created by the aircraft will be less than what a speedboat creates. Maintenance and refuelling of the aircraft will be done only at airports. No food will be allowed on board the aircraft that also come without toilets. The committee, while terming the fishermen’s appre­hensions on seaplane services reducing fishing areas as “prima facie unfounded”, has recommended alternate locations away from active fishing zones and bird sanctuaries. It has also recommended projects to help fishermen with techniques including captive breeding and open water cage farming. 

T J Anjalose, president of a fishermen’s federation affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), said the federation is awaiting discussions on the expert committee’s final report before annou­ncing a stand. “If the government stands by the assur­ance that active fishing areas won’t be affected by the seaplanes, we won’t protest. The committee is yet to discuss its findings with us,” said Anjalose who was part of official discussions on the project over the past six months. 

With the rates and itineraries for the initial phase being finalised, the DoT is looking at expanding the services in partnership with major players in the hospitality industry. “There is tremendous interest in the services and we are getting a lot of enquiries. Eventually, we hope to find more reservations through tour operators and hotels,” Billa says.