Udupi district set to experiment with heli-hopping

Udupi district set to experiment with heli-hopping

Mangalore Today News Network

Udupi, Feb 16, 2016 :  Recently Udupi is making it’s mark and expanding the tourism potentials in the district, thanks to the initiatives taken by the district administration in Udupi.  The latest is that heli-tourism would be an attractive option among other forms of tourism  available in the district to interested people.

Heli tourism - is now introduced by Chipsan Aviation  and supported by the district administration, full fledged air dashes for merriment and adventure will be a new attraction.

Sunil Narayanan, the Chipsan Aviation head, says that he was keen on venturing into the business in the district as he was well-versed with the tourism potential in the region. He added that Udupi having a large number of beaches and religious destinations, the Company could have appreciable demand from customers. "This chopper trial will be for a week or a fortnight on experimental basis. The viability will be decided after that," he said.

He added that the expenditure was around  Rs 2 lakh for two hours of flying, but the facility is open for uers at an affordable price. He said he was glad to experiment;  he started this in 2012 in his hometown in Kerala, where he has two choppers stationed in Kochi base and he estimates the profit to be based on journeys of 80 hours per month. He has three choppers in Bengaluru, two with twin engines and one with a single engine.

Narayanan said the experiment has been taken up to educate people on heli tourism. He had experimented the venture in Hampi, Ballari and Vijayapura in Karnataka and opines that heli tourism was profitable for him only during the Hampi Utsav.

He went on to explain, "The chopper can easily accommodate six people, apart from the pilot. Each customer is charged Rs 3000 which covers a 10-minute flight. This would comprise a five nautical-mile flight, covering Malpe, Manipal and Udupi. Students will be given concession, if they produce their student identity cards. The chopper will be available from sunrise to sunset and interested people should book their trips a day in advance, as the Company would be able to procure necessary permissions and also plan the route," Narayanan explained.

Six hours flying per day is expected to make a break even feasible, said Narayanan. "Udupi being a strategic point, the chopper can connect enthusiasts to major religious destinations in minimum duration - depending on the availability of the landing facilities. Kollur can be reached in 15 minutes, Murudeshwar in 30-40 minutes and Dharmasthala in 30 minutes. Businessmen and other people who would like to go to Bengaluru can reach in 90 minutes," he stated.

Udupi DC Dr Vishal R said the district administration would charge Rs 3,000 an hour - for the maintenance of the ground which comprises of a helipad. " measures have been initiated to promote tourism in the district, which would fetch profitable revenue for the district," he added.

The fare for an hour is Rs 97,325 - out of which Rs 12,000 (14.5 percent) comprises service tax. The helicopter can fly up to a height of 12,000 feet.  The helicopter was piloted by Captain Rahul.

The helipad at Areshirur in Byndoor is another place that can be the destination for the chopper. The renowned playback singer P B Srinivas used the helipad at Areshirur once every two months for flying to Kollur.