Deccan to flag off air taxi operations in Mumbai

BANGALORE: Deccan Aviation���s Sky limo, the first of its kind air taxi service in India, will soon be operational from Mumbai. ���We want to start the Sky limo service from Nariman Point in Mumbai to the city���s airport, a distance which takes about 2 hours by road during the peak hours,��� said Deccan Aviation���s chairman Captain GR Gopinath.

Launched in Bangalore on July 2008, the helicopter service operates between Bangalore international airport and selected hot-spots in the city such as the electronics city, the palace grounds and the old HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics) airport. The company also plans to start its shuttle service from Bangalore���s UB city from the next week.

���Apart from this, many other spots of landing are available on request within the city,��� said Mr Gopinath.
In Bangalore, the helicopter service is mainly availed by high-profile passengers, especially corporate honchos and ministers, who are hard-pressed for time and want to avoid the infamous traffic snarls of the city.

For its Sky limo service, the company has two helicopters in Bangalore and charges Rs 5,000 one-way flight per person to the new airport. Currently, the Sky limo service is available only during the day time but very soon it will be available at night too.

���The helipad at the UB city will be a night landing facility,��� said Mr Gopinath. Deccan Aviation also plans to operate the Sky limo service in Hyderabad. ���I went and met the Chief Minister and our company has already done a survey at Hyderabad,��� added Mr Gopinath.

Besides helicopters, rising demand for private jets is also prompting many industrial groups to invest in the business. ���We want the number of private jets to increase,��� he said. Deccan Aviation provides operational and maintenance services for private jets. It also gives out private jets for charters when not in use by the owner.