Himachal ties up with three helicopter taxi operators
December 6th, 2010 - 11:29 pm ICT by IANSDharamsala, Dec 6 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said Monday that the government has signed an agreement with three operators of helicopter taxis and identified routes and fixed air fares to boost tourism.
“A memorandum of understanding has been signed with three companies to provide interstate and intrastate heli-taxi services. This will boost tourism in the state and enable the tourists to visit landlocked areas and destinations in a short span of time,” Dhumal, who also holds the portfolio of tourism, said in the state assembly.
He said Mesco Airlines Limited would operate heli-taxis on 19 routes.
“The one-way fare between Shimla and Chandigarh has been fixed at Rs.4,500, whereas it would be Rs.7,500 between Shimla and Dharamsala and Rs.6,000 between Shimla and Kullu,” he said.
Dhumal said the fare on 28 routes ranging from Rs.2,000 to Rs.13,000 has been finalised by the state tourism department.
The two other heli-taxi firms are Simm Samm Airways Pvt Ltd and Shiva Heli Services.
The tourism department has identified 57 helipads in the state that could be made functional for the heli-taxi service.
Himachal Pradesh, known for its apples and picture-perfect tourist spots, attracted 11,437,155 tourists, including 400,583 foreigners, last year.
Kullu and Manali are tourist hotspots, followed by Shimla and Dharamsala, the seat of the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.
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- Heli Taxi services launched in Himachal - Jan 30, 2011
- Rs.454-crore ADB loan for Himachal tourism development - Oct 03, 2010
- Private operators can ply heli-taxis in Himachal - Mar 11, 2010
- Himachal Pradesh Government to build international airport near Shimla - Oct 26, 2010
- Himachal plans houseboats a la Kashmir - Aug 31, 2010
- Tourism: Kashmir's loss is Himachal's gain - Aug 05, 2010
- Pawan Hans, other air charter firms eyeing Himachal - Jul 12, 2009
- 'Sanction Himachal's Yamuna Nagar-Paonta Sahib tourism circuit' - Apr 26, 2010
- Set up Himalayan regiment, says Dhumal - Oct 22, 2011
- Alliance Air to operate flights between Delhi, Himachal - Mar 28, 2010
- Chopper service for Himachal's Manimahesh pilgrims - Sep 01, 2010
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Tags: air fares, chandigarh, chief minister, dalai lama, heli taxi, helipads, manali, memorandum of understanding, mesco airlines, rs 2, rs 6, shimla, state assembly, state tourism department, taxi firms, taxi operators, taxi service, taxi services, tibetan spiritual leader, tourist spots