Uttarakhand: Seaplane lands on the Ganga

A seaplane trial was conducted in Uttarakhand on Monday. The aircraft, a De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, conducted a test flight in Uttarakhand to and from the Ganga Barrage between Rishikesh and Haridwar. Once approved, the plane will operate in Andaman and Nicobar once the airline gets its licence from the DGCA.According to information, the Govt is keen to have seaplane services in India in a big way. This is the first time that an aircraft converted/modified in India as a seaplane took to the skies.

Rishikesh, Uttarakhand: At Pashulok Barrage UJVN Limited, in collaboration with Sky Hop, successfully conducted a seaplane trial, where the aircraft safely landed on and took off from the Ganges River under expert supervision

(06.04.2026) pic.twitter.com/1lkPjLpGvq

— IANS (@ians_india) April 7, 2026

SkyHop Aviation of Avani Singh, daughter of SpiceJet promoter Ajay Singh, could be among the first to restart seaplane service in the country. It plans to use three of the four De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft of the erstwhile Fly Big airline. De Havilland has floats for these amphibious aircraft so that they can take off and land in water. The remaining two are expected to get floats within two months.
The Uttarakhand government has steadily been building the infrastructure of tomorrow — modernising transportation, deepening connectivity, and daring to dream bigger for the state.