Flying ambulances do a slow take-off over high costs, infra issues

Performing a surgery or life-saving manoeuvre mid-air has its own challenges, but without special fittings, it's downright risky

Come election season and a clutch of sky taxi operators see business, literally, go through the roof. While companies that charter helicopters for VIP services to politicians touring the countryside say it’s open season when electoral battles kick-off, the mainstay for what they offer remains restricted to ferrying CEOs to-and-fro offshore sites.

While there are commercial opportunities for ‘flying ambulances’, lack of adequate demand and the high cost of renting out choppers still act as deterrents. “There is no organised pure-play medical chopper service in India, right now,” says Captain K N G Nair, who runs Thumby Aviation, adding that