Mumbai and Shirdi will be accessible to Punekars in a matter of minutes as helicopter services are slated to begin from November 18. It will be a great respite to commuters as travelling time will be reduced from 4-6 hours to just 35 minutes.

The chopper services are launched by the Indian branch of US-based company Blade and facilitating the passengers to enjoy a swift and exciting ride between the three cities.

Fares

The fares are based on a "per-seat basis" between the three cities. The inaugural fare between Mumbai and Pune is Rs 19,990 while the service between Mumbai and Shirdi will incur a cost of Rs 21,900. Passengers will have to pay a sum of Rs 18,900 for the chopper ride from Pune and Shirdi. This was reported by the Mumbai mirror which also stated that all fare was excluding the cost of GST.

Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai, Mundhwa in Pune and Chaitanyapuri in Shirdi will serve as helipads for the company.

Maiden Ride

A spokesperson of Blade India informed Mumbai Mirror that the first helicopter ride will be from Pune to Mumbai. From there it will fly to the temple town of Shirdi and then return to Pune. People who are leading very busy lives will find this chopper services very convenient as this service will reduce the duration of travel from four to six hours to around 35 minutes.

The Times of India in September had reported that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had given the necessary permissions to launch the service. This service spells good news for citizens of the three cities as they look forward to exciting travel in a chopper which would be the first time for many.