KARACHI: A private jet and helicopter charter company on Tuesday launched a ‘City Helicopter Tour’ services to enable people to enjoy land marks, coastlines and aerial view of the city.

The company also plans to introduce similar service in Lahore and the northern areas and introduce a air shuttle service by helicopters to travellers from Karachi airport to other parts of the city. For this a helipad over the rooftop of one of the buildings could also be used.

Sharing details with media at the company’s base at the Karachi airport terminal-I, chief executive officer (CEO) of Princely Jets Ghouse Akbar said that people could enjoy a helicopter ride for only Rs25,000. He said the length of whole activity — a route briefing by the crew, refreshment and a 20-minute city tour — would be around an hour.

Mr Akbar said tourists would be able to witness memorable panoramic view of all the major sites of Karachi.

Responding to a question, he said his company had taken six latest (Eurocopter EC-130 B4) helicopters on dry lease. Of them, two helicopters would be used for the city while the four others for Lahore-Islamabad and the northern areas, he said.

He said his company was already in the business of giving jets and helicopters on charter to the private sector, including individuals such as politicians, while many a time influential people took the services for bringing serious patients from the interior of Sindh to the city for treatment.

Each city tour would cost 20 per cent less than international market rate for such a tour, he said, claiming that this had been done in order to create awareness among the people about helicopters and its vast range of use.

He admitted that there was lack of awareness in Pakistan about the use and varied functions of helicopters whereas in the West it was being used even for washing (with cleaning fluid) power transmission lines and other electrical equipments which improved their efficiency and results in saving up to seven per cent energy losses. Citing an example, he said, as the need of Karachi city for electricity was around 2,400 megawatts, around 120MW or seven per cent of generation could be saved by using helicopters for washing transmission lines and other equipment.

He said that his company already had a facility of fire fighting through helicopters that performed better and more effectively particularly in difficult areas where firemen could not reach due to excess heat of fire. “We only need to follow world standards and such services are operating successfully the world over including Dubai, London, Paris and New York,” he maintained.

Answering another question, he said his company had received good response from expatriate Pakistanis for the heli service and expressed the hope that people from all walks of life would also avail themselves of the facility.

Reporters were later taken for a city tour in two helicopters.

Published in Dawn, December 17th, 2014