A political journey of seaplane N181KQ

Its all started with news when some news channels and social media accounts reported from their sources that "PM Modi boards first seaplane in India". 

Photo credit: smhoaxslayer

It wasn't very hard for SMHOAXSLAYER and ALTNEWS to figure out that it was year 2010 when first seaplane service was launched in India. This doesn't stop on breaking a faking news. People further investigated the real deal behind the aircraft in the above picture. The registration number of the aircraft used by PM Modi is N181KQ and according to aircraft registration prefixes, it should belong to USA. @kapsology on twitter dig deeper into details, after going through the thread, I personally verified the details and putting the screenshots with source of the website. 

1. Owner of aircraft N181KQ 

According to database available on aviationdb.com which contains all current, deregistered, and reserved U.S. civil aircraft maintained by the FAA, it shows that the aircraft is owned by BANK OF UTAH TRUSTEE and it is registered in Utah USA. The general question can be, what this aircraft was doing in India, the answer can be it might be called by some third party. But who? 

Doesn't India owns such plane when service seaplane was started in 2010. Assuming all the possibilities that all the seaplanes in India were not available and Gujarat Police denied the PM Modi rally in Ahemdabad, the aircraft was arranged to display a grand show on Sabarmati riverfront. Remember, this riverfront played an important role in 2014. And the show was a success as all the media channels declared it as first seaplane until it was claimed as Hoax. 

2. BANK OF UTAH and Panama Papers 

More details about this trust can be found here. Yes this is an Aircraft Owner Trust which provides aircraft owner trustee services for US and non-US citizens and corporations. Bank of Utah has been accused in money laundering and Paradise papers. Read NY Times article on Secretive Help for a Russian Oligarch and His Jet and Leonid Mikhelson on Paradise paper who used Bank of Utah as a stand-in so he could register his Gulfstream jet in the United States.  

Image Source: NY Times 

Bank of Utah is like shield where "company" provide aircraft on its name in any country. Similar to WHOIS masking by godaddy where a domain registrant can mask their details going public. So who hired the aircraft which landed in India could never known except the government or Aviation department. 

3. Travelling Records of N181KQ 

Since it is not owned by any Indian company, it travelled across globe in past 90 days. Interestingly, before the aircraft landed in India, it started its journey from Karachi, Pakistan. And you know that Pakistan is a big deal during election campaigns. Even a prime minister can't finish his rallies without mentioning about Pakistan. What the aircraft was doing in Pakistan and who hired it there is not known. The Dec 1 to 12 flight path can be see here. 

Image Source: AltNews 

4. Tsuneishi Holdings Corporation 

According to Times of India article the aircraft was brought in by SpiceJet which signed a MoU with Japan's Setouchi Holdings two months ago to explore the opportunities for seaplane flights in India. The Japanese Setouchi Holdings bought American company (Quest Aircraft Company LLC) in 2015 which is further a subsidiary of Tsuneishi Holdings Corporation from Japan. The above press release about signing MoU with SpiceJet is missing from Setouchi Holdings website whereas another press release related to seaplane in Maldives can be accessed.