Thumby Aviation Pvt Ltd is considering extending the popular helitaxi service from the Kempegowda International Airport Ltd (KIAL) to Mysuru, Madikeri, Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka and Salem in Tamil Nadu. The firm, which has a service from KIA to Electronics City, is all set to commission helitaxi services between the HAL airport and KIAL.
Govind Nair, director, Business Development of Thumby Aviation told DH, “According to our in-house assessment, there has been a considerable increase in the passenger traffic to KIA from small towns like Mysuru, Madikeri, Chikkamagaluru and Salem which largely depend on bus or cab services. There has been a huge demand for helicopter services to fly to KIA in a short time. As we are set to commence operations from HAL airport either by this month end or in the first week of July, our team will finalise operations on these routes.”
The move is likely to give a tough competition to the state-run Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and private firms. KSRTC is already operating the swanky Flybus services from KIA to Mysuru, Madikeri, Kundapur and Coimbatore.
Asked if helitaxi service to smaller destinations would affect KSRTC's business, Prabhakar Reddy, KSRTC divisional controller, Bengaluru said, “It’s unlikely to affect our business. Compared to the helitaxi, buses accommodate more passengers."