You can soon ride SkyHop Aviation's seaplane in India
What's the story
SkyHop Aviation has received the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), paving the way for commercial seaplane services in India. The certification comes after a series of successful test flights earlier this month, including water take-offs and landings at Uttarakhand's Ganga Barrage and Tehri Lake.
Operational goals
India's 1st dedicated commercial seaplane operator
SkyHop Aviation is India's first dedicated commercial seaplane operator. The airline intends to improve access to areas where traditional airport infrastructure is lacking or hard to develop. Avani Singh, Founder and CEO of SkyHop Aviation, said securing the AOC was an important milestone for them after a year of consistent effort.
Service expansion
Connecting Lakshadweep islands in 1st phase of operations
Singh also emphasized that SkyHop is committed to improving access to places where conventional airports are either not viable or hard to develop. She said seaplanes could open new routes and reduce travel time to remote regions. In the first phase of operations, SkyHop plans to connect five Lakshadweep islands with each other and the mainland using a 19-seater aircraft.
Flight specifics
Test flight took off from Ganga Barrage
On April 6, SkyHop completed a test flight that included take-off and landing at the Ganga Barrage in Rishikesh. The test was done using a modified De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft with floats for water operations. This plane was earlier owned by the now-defunct Fly Big airline and has been modified and certified for seaplane operations in India.