Page 10 - AAA NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2017 Online Magazine

FEATURE SPICEJET

Spicing it Up

LCC Carrier SpiceJet is looking to operate 10 & 14 seater seaplanes
By Jay Menon

indiA’s LoW Cost CArrier sPiCeJet If things move ahead, the project would which will support this objective. Under
plans to buy more than 100 amphibian be done in one year, he says, adding “Our this association, we have already executed
airplanes, estimated to cost US$400 million, effort is to provide air connectivity to places land plane demonstrations in Nagpur and
as part of its effort to increase regional that have hitherto remained unconnected Guwahati. As a next step, we would also like
operations. SpiceJet has entered into a due to infrastructural challenges.” Reliable, to go for seaplane demonstration soon,” says
Memorandum of Understanding with Japan’s tough and resilient, amphibious planes Dr. Go Okazaki, Executive Managing Director,
Setouchi Holdings to explore opportunities have the ability to take off and land from Setouchi Holdings Inc.
for small ten and fourteen seater amphibious places that do not have landing strips and Japan’s Setouchi Holdings Inc., a pioneer
Kodiak Quest aircraft, that can land anywhere, where no runway exists, thus reaching areas in the small aircraft aviation industry, is a
including on water, gravel or in an open field, the where there is no other mode of transport part of the Tsuneishi Group of Hiroshima
airline’s Chairman and Managing Director Ajay available. Demo flights of the aircraft Prefecture. Setouchi Holding owns QUEST,
Singh says. “We will explore the commercial have been held in central Indian town of the manufacturer of specialized amphibious
viability of this amphibian airplanes project. Nagpur and eastern city of Guwahati. “We and non-amphibious range of aircraft
If we decide to go for it, we will buy in excess are delighted to associate with SpiceJet globally. There are about 200 Kodiak Quest
of 100 airplanes,” he says, adding each aircraft for exploring opportunities in the field of aircraft flying all over the world for the past
costs about US$4 million. aviation. We are happy to introduce Kodiak 10 years. “Small aircraft connectivity may

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