New Delhi: Australia’s Amphibian Aerospace Industries (AAI), manufacturer of amphibious aircraft for both civil and military use, has tied up with Indian firm Apogee Aerospace to offer its Albatross 2.0 here in the country.
The tie up comes at a time when India is focusing on promoting seaplanes for island connectivity.
In the Union Budget for 2026-27, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had proposed Viability Gap Funding (VGF) to localise manufacturing of seaplanes.
“A Seaplane VGF Scheme will also be introduced to provide support for operations,” she had said. VGF is an Indian government financial mechanism to support public-private partnership projects.
In an event announcing their tie-up in the national capital, the Indian firm said it has ordered 15 seaplanes in a deal valued at about Rs 3,500 crores.
They also announced a partnership under which Apogee Aerospace will be AAI’s exclusive authorised representative partner for the Indian subcontinent in the restricted category covering defence and government requirements. The partnership extends across maintenance, repair and overhaul, training and capability development, simulation, end-to-end systems integration for the militarisation of the aircraft.
What is Albatross 2.0
Albatross 2.0 is the world’s first and only FAA or EASA certified Transport Category amphibious aircraft above 19 seats (up to 28 seats) in the Registered Passenger Transport (RPT) sector.
The aircraft can carry up to 28 passengers and is certified under US Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency standards.
Beyond the aircraft order, Apogee said it would invest an additional Rs 500 crore to establish manufacturing, maintenance and overhaul facilities, training and simulation infrastructure, and advanced systems integration capabilities in India.
The investments are expected to support both civilian and military variants of the aircraft and form part of a broader effort to localize aerospace production.
Gopi Reddy, president and chief executive of Amphibian Aerospace Industries, said the first Albatross 2.0 aircraft is expected to enter the Indian market within the next 18 to 24 months.
The announcements come as the Indian government pushes to boost air connectivity, particularly in coastal, island and remote regions, while promoting self-reliance under its “Make in India” and defence indigenisation initiatives.
Amphibious aircraft are also being positioned as enablers of India’s expanding “blue economy,” including maritime surveillance, disaster response and island development.
AAI’s executive chairman, Khoa Hoang, said the long-term objective was to establish a full Albatross manufacturing and assembly line in India. “Negotiations and planning for setting up the assembly line are going on,” he said. The company currently operates a manufacturing facility in the United States.
Apogee Aerospace has already invested about Rs 65 crore in Amphibian Aircraft Holdings, AAI’s parent company, underscoring what both sides described as a long-term strategic alignment.
(Edited by Vidhi Bhutra)
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