Centre to set up water aerodromes at Prakasam barrage for seaplane services

The central government has paid special attention to seaplane service project as it has been a success after launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the Sardar Patel Unity Sculpture in Narmada district of Gujarat to the Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad has It hopes to build 14 new water aerodromes in various states across the country. This includes the Prakasam Barrage in Andhra Pradesh. A water aerodrome is a concrete structure built on a river to allow passengers to board and disembark a seaplane. It's like an airport on the water. The central government has decided that there are favorable conditions for sea plane services in states like Andhra Pradesh, Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar, Assam, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand.

It plans to build new aerodromes under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) -Udan scheme. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Department of Civil Aviation have asked the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to conduct a hydrographic survey on seaplane services. Sources in the shipping department said that they have also appealed for cooperation in the construction of concrete jetties (water aerodrome) on the rivers.

The shipping department in a statement has identified Prakasam Barrage in Andhra Pradesh as a suitable area for sea plane services in Krishna district. IWAI completed the construction of aerodromes on the Narmada River in Gujarat and on the Sabarmati Riverfront in record time. The Sabarmati Riverfront is 200 km from the Statue of Unity where the prime Minister Modi traveled by sea plane between the two regions in just 40 minutes.