29th

Sept, 2016

The Honble Chief Minister

Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir,
Civil Secretariat
Srinagar

Subject : Proposal for Amphibian plane Services ex-Srinagar for

permission of tourism in
Jammu and Kashmir
Dear Sir:
Maritime Energy Heli Air Services Pvt. Ltd. (MEHAIR) has pioneered the launch of
amphibian plane services in India since year 2011 and till date remains the only
amphibian plane operator in the country. The company has successfully
operated amphibian plane services in the tough and challenging environs of the
Andaman & Nicobar islands and also in the state of Maharashtra vide an MOU
with Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation. Based on the success of the
operations in the country so far, MEHAIR is looking to extend its services in new
geographies.
Going by its internal surveys, we feel that a amphibian plane service in J&K will
go a long way in promoting tourism as well as connecting far flung / interior
areas adjoining water bodies and/or runways apart from offering air ambulance,
disaster management service and surveillance etc.
a) Proposed Amphibian plane base and Sectors
The aircraft proposed is a Cessna 208A Amphibian which can carry 2 pilots + 09
passengers at a speed of 130 knots. The proposed service will connect Srinagar
airport and / or Dal Lake to pick-up and drop passengers on a daily basis.
However, basing it at the airport will not only be challenging given the paucity of
parking space as well as the heavy scheduled airline traffic but will also be more
costly due to the many taxes charged by city airports. We propose to base the
service out of Dal lake or any other lake after the necessary infrastructure has
been set up for operating and servicing a amphibian plane from this water body.
A list of probable destinations is attached for your perusal. You may accept these
are even amend the same as per your better understanding since we have only
given some indicative sectors. The amphibian plane is an extremely versatile
mode of air transport as it can connect places where no regular aircraft can go to
due to absence of an airport.
b) Prices and Minimum Guarantee p.m.
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A per hour cost of operating the amphibian plane works out to Rs 1,10,000/- per
hour plus Service tax @ 15%.
To ensure the long term survival of the of the service, we require the following :1. The aircraft needs to operate a minimum of 100 hours per month to make the
service viable. Therefore this minimum guarantee is sought from the Govt.
which in turn could offer this itself or through any other agency for a firm
period of 2-3 years.
The Govt can adopt the same payment model as was done by the Andaman &
Nicobar Administration which is to pay a Fixed Monthly Charge of 50% of the
minimum guaranteed revenue and the balance as a Flying Hourly Charge for
80 hours of flying per month. This model worked the most successfully for a
period of over 3 years in the A&N.
c) Infrastructure to be provided by Govt.
The amphibian plane base at the base (water body) and other destinations would
have to include the following
1. 1 x Passenger check-in and security check area per destination: Like an airconditioned Swiss tent / area with attached toiled and power/water.
2. 1 x Floating dock/jetty per destination for embarkation/disembarkation of
passengers : Made from HDPE material.
3. Boats for ferrying 09 passengers between shore and aircraft (if there is no
jetty) :
4. Re-fueling facility with fuel stocking facility : Air-conditioned RCC Structure,
150 sq ft
5. Police / BCAS trained security personnel for frisking of passengers as well as
overall security Min two (male/female) per destination
6. Emergency services like fire extinguisher and medical evacuation facility
7. Wind sock and De-markation of water ways using buoys for landing and take
off at all destination
8. Concrete / wooden ramp to be constructed at main base for pulling aircraft
out of water
9. Tie up at airprot for small hangar space on rent for maintenance of the
aircraft
10.Office space inside airport on rent
11.Local and State Govt. level NOCs
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12.State Govt assistance to expedite clearances in central govt ministries

13.Local operator in J&K if required
14.Any other
MEHAIR will be happy to provide designs and layouts without any charge
wherever the Govt needs the same for setting up the required infrastructure.
d) Launch Window MEHAIR is looking launch the services ex-J&K within Oct/Nov, 2016 then the
company would need the following immediately:1. Govt to provide the Letter of Award of contract within the month of Sept
2. NOC for allowing amphibian plane operations from all other water bodies by
end Sept, 2016
3. In principle NOC from Collectors of districts where the water bodies lie before
end Sept, 2016
4. Kind efforts of Govt to assist with speedy disposal of MEHAIRs application at
the Central ministries (if required)
5. Getting the infrastructure as per point no. d) above ready for the amphibian
plane trial landings and audit by Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)
before end of Sept, 2016
6. The aircraft can be mobilized in Srinagar for commercial operations soon as
the DGCA clearance for the various waterdrome trials has been received
which could be between 3 - 4 weeks from trial landings. This time line could
be shorter if the Govt also assists with MEHAIRs efforts to expedite the
various NOCs and clearances .
e) Amphibian plane Pilot Endorsement School Based on its growing fleet and need for amphibian plane pilots, MEHAIR is
looking to set up south Asias first single engine amphibian plane pilot
endorsement school which will train and hire pilots for its own needs as well as
other operators who may need crew in and around India. MEHAIR will also
guarantee employment to the students graduation from this school. The pilot
school can be set up in J&K as part of the amphibian plane project will be up and
running by the beginning of year 2017. The graduates from this school will not
only be absorbed by MEHAIR but will also be eligible for working with other
amphibian plane operators in the world.
f) Amphibian plane Maintenance, Repairs & Overhauls (MRO)

It is for the first time that seaplanes have been introduced in India. Based on the
success of the concept in the A&N islands, MEHAIR is confident of replicating the
same success in the other parts of the country as well and its only a matter of
time before other operators as well as numerous seaplanes start dotting the
Indian skyline.
At some point these aircraft will have to undergo the scheduled major overhauls
which are mandatory as per the manufacturer from a safety point of view of the
aircraft. As of now, there is no facility in this part of the world which can cater for
this requirement. Infact the nearest suitable facility atleast for the single engine
seaplanes would be either European Union or the United States of America and
for the twin engine would be Maldives. Sending an aircraft to these two places
would entail a huge amount of expense as well as logistical challenge. Clearly
there is a business niche here which is currently not addressed as MEHAIR can
undertake the same servicing atleast 30% cheaper vide the Make in India
initiative of the Govt. of India.
Based on the above understanding, MEHAIR has decided to set up the first-of-itskind Amphibian plane MRO in India. This is proposed to be a worldclass MRO
which will be self sufficient in every aspect and will cater for not just the local
fleet in India but any amphibian plane operations in the SAARC region.
The company has been invited by various state Govts to set up the MRO in their
areas. Various incentives like land, water, electricity and a tax holiday are being
offered to induce MEHAIR to put up the facility in these states however the
company could consider setting it up in J&K given the right support from the
Govt..
We hope that our proposal will find merit with the state Govt and other
stakeholders in the project and a quick and positive decision will be taken in the
matter at the earliest. Please feel free to revert back to us for any further
clarifications you may have in the matter.
Thank You
Yours Sincerely

Siddharth Verma
Director