Heli-hop above all traffic woes

As the Bangalore juggernaut trundles its way to an urban zenith, the woes of the commuter are steadily increasing. Traffic jams spring from nowhere and wind their way though the city, and pollution levels rise. Amidst the din, the city’s elite and well-to-do are looking to the skies for an avenue out of the congestion. And that avenue comes with rotors. 

According to the city’s two helicopter service companies — Deccan Charters and Global Vectra — their whirlybirds are regularly chartered by international corporate heads visiting their Indian plants; there is also inland demand for emergency medical transfers. And that demand is slowly increasing.

“We’re booked for 20 to 25 days a month,” says Sanjay Saigal, vice-president Deccan Charters. Saigal agrees that business is picking up, but says that consistency has not yet been achieved. “Off and on we see demand for transporting corporate heads from the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) to Whitefield or Mysore. Demand has seen a 20% rise, but that’s not enough to start a shuttle service,” says Saigal. Deccan currently operates three helicopters out of Bangalore.

Global Vectra may only have one chopper based in the city, but it is keeping its options open for more, according to the company’s deputy general manger, Arjun Chopra. “We get a lot of charter demands, but not enough for a regular shuttle service,” says Chopra. He believes that it is only a matter of time before Bangalore opts for an airborne solution to vexing connectivity issues.  

The ITC Royal Gardenia Bangalore, which is the only hotel in India to have a helipad, is hoping it will be a big hit with corporate leaders.

Anand rao, general manger of the hotel, says, “It’s (the helipad) our unique proposition and we believe this will have to be a part of the new generation hotels.”

The recession, and a lack of landing facilities, may have laid low Bangalore’s plans for a helicopter shuttle service, but the city’s tour operators believe that a myopic government vision also played its part in the project stalling.

R Madhu of SLS Tourist, a leading India tour company, says, “Heli-tourism could have picked up if the government had taken the initiative. It has not happened, but it will.”

Now, however, with the BBMP stating it may allow helicopters to land on residential and commercial buildings, an increasing number of factories, hospitals, hotels and high-end residential clusters are building helipads.

“A helicopter service is a necessity in the city, not just for connectivity, but for fire safety too,” says Khalid Mohsin, general manager of the India Builders Corporation.  He says that helipads should now become an intrinsic part of any new large project. “Bangalore may not become a Manhattan, but it is definitely going to court chopper travel in future,” he says.

Captain GR Gopinath of Deccan Aviation, who pioneered low-cost air travel in India, believes that helicopters are a viable transport option: “The corporate demand is not steady and great as of now, but charter demands are good. Currently, choppers are mainly used for medical transfers, rather than corporate travel.

Helicopters, however, will remain attractive to those wishing to save time.” Captain Gopinath says that if corporate demand steadily rises, the cost of using a helicopter to get from point to point could drop considerably.

Sudeep Chandran of Terra Firma, a leading land consultant, says, “Many transnational companies setting up shop in North Bangalore (Doddaballapur) are building helipads.” BIA in Devanahalli has seen increasing growth, with nearly 10 million passengers passing through its doors this year. That will increase to 40 million, when the second terminal is built. Connectivity will then be of even greater importance.