Uttar Pradesh tourism department in collaboration with the national helicopter carrier, Pawan Hans, is all set to launch a helicopter service to get an aerial view of the city from October this year. According to tourism officials, people will get to see all the historical sites of the city in just 10 minutes for Rs 2,500.
After getting a go-ahead from the state government, the department has started looking for space for building helipads. Officials said three acres of land is required to build the helipads. As of now, discussions are on for building them at Agra airport and at a site in Etmadpur along the Inner Ring Road. Other alternative sites are also being considered.
Deputy Director, tourism, Dinesh Kumar said, “This initiative is being taken to make tourism destinations of the state more attractive. After Vrindavan, Goverdhan and Varanasi, a helicopter service is in the pipeline in Agra and Ayodhya. Allahabad is another such destination.” He was referring to the Adityanath Yogi government’s proposal to start a chopper service from Noida for an aerial ‘parikrama’ of the Krishna circuit covering Mathura, Vrindavan and Goverdhan in September.
Kumar said permission from the Indian Air Force and the home ministry would be sought to fly helicopters in Agra city. “We are hopeful that the department will get the permission at the earliest. We plan to start the service by October,” the official added.
Kumar said all important sites like Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Akbar’s tomb at Sikandra, besides old Shiva temples located on four corners of Agra would be shown to tourists during the 10-minute ride.
The helicopter service has been a long pending demand of tourism bodies in Agra. The Tourism Guild of Agra, an association of hotel and emporium owners, had mooted the proposal to start a 20-minute helicopter ride from Taj Mahal to Fatehpur Sikri in 2016 keeping in view its tourism potential. However, the service between Agra and Fatehpur Sikri at present is not part of this scheme.
