Jal Hans
| Commenced operations | 30 December 2010 |
|---|---|
| Hubs | Veer Savarkar International Airport |
| Destinations | 4 |
| Parent company | Pawan Hans |
| Headquarters | Port Blair |
| Key people | Praful Patel |
Jal Hans is a commercial seaplane service based in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. It is a pilot project that was launched on 30 December 2010 by the then Indian Civil Aviation Minister, Praful Patel, at Juhu Aerodrome in Mumbai. The airline is jointly owned by Pawan Hans, India's largest helicopter services provider, and the Andaman and Nicobar administration and is run on an equal profit and loss basis between them.
Jal Hans is India's first commercial seaplane service. The service currently has one six-year-old Cessna 208 A, an amphibious aircraft that cost around Rs. 80 million that has the capability of landing on most calm waters. It aims to promote tourism and connectivity by connecting far flung islands and backwaters with the mainland in a country that has a 7400-kilometre long shoreline. Initially Jal Hans started flying from Port Blair to Havelock Island, where a waterdrome infrastructure is being installed and then Diglipur, again at a waterdrome. The first flight from Port Blair to Havelock Island took place on 24 January 2011, and was inaugurated by the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bhopinder Singh. Waterdrome facilities include speed boats to ferry passengers from the sea shore to the pontoons with a capacity of 10 passengers, sanitation, an inflatable boat and an inflatable jetty.
Jal Hans has exclusive rights to service Andaman and Nicobar Islands for a period of five years.
The airline expects to expand to Lakshadweep Islands, backwaters in Kerala, Gujarat, Sundarbans in West Bengal and Puri in Orissa soon.
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