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Heli tourism, a non-starter
The much-awaited ‘Heli tourism’ in Tirupati became a non-starter causing disappointment to the denizens and the pilgrims. AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) has signed an MoU with Mak Aero Space and Aviation Pvt Ltd to operate helicopter joy rides in Pilgrim City in line with the State government’s proposal to initiate heli tourism in Tirupati, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.
Tirupati: The much-awaited ‘Heli tourism’ in Tirupati became a non-starter causing disappointment to the denizens and the pilgrims. AP Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) has signed an MoU with Mak Aero Space and Aviation Pvt Ltd to operate helicopter joy rides in Pilgrim City in line with the State government’s proposal to initiate heli tourism in Tirupati, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.
The proposal was pending for long with APTDC has already acquired land for Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA) near Shilparamam to construct permanent helipad and to provide other passenger amenities. Several operators approached APTDC in the past and expressed their interest to operate joy rides here. Once these rides are started, they wanted to introduce other package tours to surrounding places like Kanipakam, Gandikota and Srikalahasti. But, it never crossed the discussion stage.
It was only in July when the MoU was inked between the APTDC and Mak Aero Space, actual works have gathered momentum. Representatives of Mak Aero Space have visited Tirupati and identified a private land on the backside of Srinivasam which was well known as exhibition grounds to construct a helipad. It was planned to shift it to APTDC’s own site once permanent works are completed there.
Mak Aero Space wanted to utilise the opportunity of Sri Vari Brahmotsavams, which were coincided with Dasara holidays expecting huge demand, and get much publicity for their services with plans to introduce more packages later. It was also planned to introduce to introduce Bell 206 six-seater helicopter to go over the city for 10-12 minutes covering Tirupati, Tiruchanoor and Chandragiri areas.
It may be recalled that during 2015 Brahmotsavams, Pawan Hans Limited has operated joy rides priced at Rs 1,999 which received significant response from the people. This created confidence in several operators that there is potential demand for the services in the city.
Necessary permissions were obtained from Municipal Corporation, Revenue department, Police and Fire departments, said the Regional Director of Mak Aero Space SA Sabeer. He said they have completed all formalities as per the norms of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and helipad was also constructed accordingly.
All these documents were submitted to District Collector for further orders. “Once we get the clearance, we can operate rides within 24 hours,” he maintained. He added if Tirupati project is delayed further, they will go ahead with Visakhapatnam project as the site was identified at Rishikonda resort already and later go to Vijayawada as part of MoU.
By V Pradeep Kumar
