First seaplane service from Mumbai takes off for Lonavala

City-based private operator Maritime Energy Heli Air Services Pvt Ltd (Mehair), in association with MTDC, today launched maiden seaplane service to Lonavala from here, marking its first operation from the mainland.
The first commercial seaplane flight with nine passengers onboard a Cessna 208A aircraft, took off at around 12 noon from the Juhu aerodrome for Pawana dam in Lonavala.
"We have received tremendous response from the customers. As a matter-of-fact, both the daily flights and weekly flights that we will operate have seen full bookings till September 15," Mehair co-founder and director Siddharth Verma said after the launch.
The company also plans to set up a training facility for seaplane pilots to meet the demand.

"Right now there are very few pilots to operate a seaplane. We are planning to establish a conversion school (training academy) for pilots, which will train commercial pilot licence (CPL) holders for these type of aircraft and a full-fledged conversion school is aimed at tiding over this problem," Verma told PTI.
He said the training institute will come up at the proposed maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility, the site for which is being identified.
Mehair pioneered the launch of seaplanes operations in the country in January 2011 when it rolled out services in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The company has announced special promotional fares of Rs 2,999 per person for a 25-minute one way journey, which will remain in effect till September 15, he said, adding, "we will revise fares post mid-September but have not yet decided the quantum of hike.