Pawan Hans partnership with Neomi Aerospace to drive seaplane innovation, boost regional connectivity
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Minister Naidu announced that a Seaplane VGF scheme will also be introduced to provide support for operations.
Pawan Hans Limited (PHL), a Government of India enterprise under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, signed a Non-Binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Noemi Aerospace (Elfly AS), Norway to explore opportunities for collaboration in next-generation sustainable aviation technologies, including electric seaplane solutions.
The agreement was signed by Sunil Kumar Nagdawne, Chairman & Managing Director, Pawan Hans Limited, and Eric François Lithun, Chief Executive Officer, Noemi Aerospace (Elfly AS), Norway. The MoU was signed in the presence of Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu and Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Samir Kumar Sinha.
The proposed collaboration seeks to establish a framework for exploring potential cooperation in the areas like Electric seaplane technologies, Skill development and capacity building, Technical knowledge sharing and workshops , Feasibility studies.
The initiative aligns with the Government of India’s vision of promoting regional connectivity, green aviation, innovation-led growth, island connectivity and emerging aviation technologies.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister Naidu said, “This collaboration reflects our broader vision of encouraging strengthening indigenous capabilities and exploring emerging technologies in the civil aviation sector. Our vision is not limited to operating seaplanes in India; we also want to build them in India guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Make in India vision. Further the Union Budget 2026 strongly puts forward the government’s vision for Seaplane promotion. It proposes to give incentives to indigenise manufacturing of seaplanes. A Seaplane VGF Scheme will also be introduced to provide support for operations. If we combine global technology partnerships with Indian manufacturing capability, then we can cater to the local and regional demand for Seaplanes.”
Over the last two years, Naidu added, the Government of India has taken several concrete steps to promote seaplanes in the country. “We launched dedicated Seaplane Operations Guidelines, simplified the regulatory framework and also conducted a demonstration flight across the country to encourage the stakeholders”
The MoU is exploratory in nature and does not involve any financial commitment, procurement commitment, investment obligation or exclusive arrangement. Any future collaboration arising from these discussions will be subject to separate definitive agreements and the requisite approvals of the competent authorities, in accordance with applicable laws and Government of India procedures.
