Fly to airport on Deccan`s limos

The service, christened Skylimo, is the first of its kind air taxi service to be launched from any airport in the country.

The company will commence services from July 2. To begin with, it will fly between BIA and Electronics City, Whitefield and HAL Airprot. It will soon add Bangalore Palace grounds.

The company has deployed a four-seater Bell 206 JetRanger helicopter. Initially, the skylimos service is available only during the day, from 6.30 am to 6 pm, and will cover the distance in 15-20 minutes.

The fare for these charters is in the range of Rs 4,800 per person to Rs 5,800 per person per trip. Deccan Aviation has built a helipad within the BIAL premises, about a kilometre from the airport.

Karnataka Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, after inaugurating the service, said that efforts are being made to improve the air connection to other towns of Karnataka.

The state has provided free land at Bidar for the construction of a terminal building and that the state has also given financial assistance of Rs 3 crore for the building and instructed the deputy commissioner to take up work immediately to connect Bidar by air too in the next six months. Bidar airport is presently under the IAF.

Yeddyurappa said that Mysore airport wiill be operational by December 2008. and added that the existing Hubli and Belgaum airport will be expanded. In the next two years, Gulbarga, Hassan and Shimoga will have new airports for which he has laid the foundation. He said tenders have been floated for development of the new airport at Bijapur.

Yeddyurappa, after the inauguration, left for Delhi to request Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to inaugurate the new Bangalore International Airport formally.

Captain Gopinath, managing director, Deccan Aviation told reporters on sdidelines that Deccan will invest $12 m in all in the next six months to start helicopter charter services in Mumbai and Hyderabad, in addition to Bangalore.

He said, he has already invested $5 million and has bought two copters for the Bangalore operations. It will buy another four to expand the services to Mumbai and Hyderabad.

Yeddyurappa said that he would lead an all-party delegation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi tomorrow to press for the release of sufficient stocks of fertiliser to the state.