Heli-taxi service from HAL airport may not take off for now
BENGALURU: The Heli-taxi service proposed between HAL airport and Kempegowda International Airport, meant to kickstart nearly a month ago, may not materialise anytime in the near future.
Early last month, heli-taxi operator Thumby Aviation Pvt Ltd was upbeat about the launch of the service - Heli-taxii - from HAL airport to KIA. Its founder K N G Nair told The New Indian Express that the fare would be higher for this route than that charged between Electronics City and KIA due to numerous charges that had to be paid to HAL.
Nair said, “There does not seem to be any rush in pre-bookings for the service from HAL. The taxi can carry six people on board each trip. It does not make economic sense to run along the route if there is no demand.” Asked if the proposal has been shelved, Nair did not give a specific response. “We are not in a position to give you a specific time period when it will be launched,” he said. He added that the two heli-taxis running between Electronicss City and KIA were having good patronage.
Asked about the issue, HAL spokesman and Chief of Media Communications Gopal Sutar told Express that the private operator first needs to obtain clearance from the Director General of Civil Aviation before launching the service. “Secondly, HAL will require a no-objection certificate from Bangalore International Airport Ltd for running a commercial service due to prior agreements,” Sutar said.As per the contract signed between the BIAL and the state government (and the Centre), commercial operations from airports within a 150-km flying radius from KIA cannot take place for 25 years (till May 2033).
However, Nair ruled out the need for DGCA clearance for operating heli-taxis. “We are already running a chartered service from HAL for many years now and already have the required clearance from DGCA,” he said. About HAL’s requirement of a NoC from BIAL, he said he was not aware of it and had to check that out. Asked about the certification, a BIAL spokesman said, “No comments.”