Tourists visit Mumbai to see the queen’s necklace at night, to watch the towering Gateway of India on the coast, for the delicacies of batata vada and cutting chai, for a quick ride in the local trains. Well, the list just got longer.

The city of dreams may soon have seaplanes flying over it!  The kind that Balloo from Talespin flew. Remember?

You can go from Juhu to Girgaum Chowpatty in just 7 short minutes, in contrast to road transport or local trains, which take up more than an hour to cover the same distance.  And the best thing is that the fare of the seaplane is equivalent to that of a taxi for the same distance!

Seaplane is an initiative to make travelling within and outside of Mumbai quicker and fun. These aircrafts can land on all kinds of water bodies, which make them not only practical but so cool too.

The initial routes planned are:

Route	Time duration of journey
Mumbai-Pavana Dam	22 minutes
Mumbai-Lavasa	25 minutes
Mumbai-Murud Janjira	25 minutes
Juhu to Girgaum Chowpatty	7 minutes

The other routes in the pipeline are Harihareshwar and Bushi dam near Lonavla and other popular destinations in Maharashtra.

Major Highlights:

• The rides start from Feb 2014
• Bookings can be done online
• Tickets will cost between INR 750 – INR 2000, depending upon the distance.
• The planes will fly at a height of 700-3,500 ft., giving a good view of the terrain
• All flights will take off from Juhu airport. Return trips are also planned.

So next time you plan a getaway to Lonavla or Amby Valley, remember to book your seat in the seaplane as well!