Helicopter services between Mumbai, Pune, Shirdi to begin from 18 November; fares range from Rs 18,900 to Rs 21,900

The Indian branch of the US-based startup company Blade is likely to begin helicopter services between Mumbai, Pune, and Shirdi starting from 18 November, reports said on Wednesday. [caption id=“attachment_5361531” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] The service is set to be launched on a “per-seat basis” between the three cities at an inaugural cost of Rs 19,990 between Mumbai and Pune, Rs 21,900 between Mumbai and Shirdi, and Rs 18,900 between Pune and Shirdi, Mumbai Mirror reported. These fares are excluding the cost of GST. The report quoted a spokesperson of Blade India as saying, “The first chopper ride will take passengers from Pune to Mumbai, then fly to the temple town of Shirdi and return to Pune. The average flight will reduce the usual duration of four to six hours to all of 35 minutes.” In September, The Times of India had reported that necessary permissions had been taken from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to launch the service. Amit Dutta, the managing director of Blade India was quoted as saying, “The company has helipads at convenient locations — Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai, Mundhwa in Pune and Chaitanyapuri in Shirdi.” “The American company is launching its India operations, its first outside the US, in partnership with Hunch Ventures, a Delhi-based equity investment firm that has deployed over $100 million in consumer-facing business in India,”  a report by Moneycontrol said. With inputs from agencies