Heli taxis from Chandigarh to Shimla from June 4; travel time reduced to 20 min

Himachal Pradesh Government and Pawan Hans will be collaborating to start heli-taxi services between Chandigarh and Shimla. This move comes in the wake of promoting tourism in both the state capitals.
Read More: Himachal Pradesh — soon fly to your favourite spots in heli-taxis

As per the reports, Pawan Hans will start the chopper service from June 4, 2018. Referring to this move, a spokesperson from the Chandigarh International Airport Limited informed that this service, to start with, will be available only on Monday and Friday. The spokesperson further stated, “After seeing the response from the public, the frequency of chopper rides will be increased.”
Reportedly, the chopper will have 20 seats. And as of now, to take a chopper ride, a passenger will have to spend INR 2,999. The official also said, “It will provide good connectivity to Shimla from Chandigarh and will promote tourism as well. Passengers will be told about safety precautions they need to take while boarding the chopper.”

Reportedly, the chopper will leave Shimla at 8 AM and reach Chandigarh at 8:20 AM. The timing of the chopper ride from Chandigarh and Shimla will be 9 AM to 9:20 AM.

Currently, there are no air services connecting both these state capitals. Till date, people had to spend around 3.5 hours to travel to and from Chandigarh and Shimla. After the launch of heli taxis between Chandigarh and Shimla, the 120 km distance between these cities can be covered in just 20 min.

After Kullu, Shimla will be the second hill state to be connected with Chandigarh by air.

Update―From July 1, flyers planning to book a heli taxi ride from Chandigarh to Shimla brace up to pay INR 500 more. 10 min extra time has also been added to the proposed 20-min travel time. Pawan Hans, which has started operating on this route from this month, has hiked the ticket price. As compared to earlier price where flyers had to pay INR 2999, they will now have to shell out INR 3999.