13 private choppers, five more by year-end

Pune: The city is flying high, and literally so. Pune is among the top three cities in country when it comes to privately-owned helicopters. From four in 2005, the city now boasts 13 choppers and that includes both private as well as non-scheduled operator’s permit (NSOP) or commercially-flying choppers. The number is expected to rise by five more by the year-end.
“As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) data, the other two top cities are Mumbai and Delhi. Other cities like Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad together have only a handful. Mumbai has a number of choppers, bigger machines operating for offshore operations. Pune, on the other side, has small, twin-engined ones. In fact, a heliport is proposed in a city suburb,” said Captain Uday Gelli, president of Rotary Wing Society of India, Western Region.
Four of the 13 choppers in Pune are NSOP ones. In fact, an owner says the demand for renting choppers is such that almost all in the city are booked throughout the month. The rents, calculated on hourly basis, range from Rs. 50,000 per hour for an old Bell 407 to Rs. 85,000 for a modern chopper.
25/02/11 Indian Express

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Feb 2011