Expensive chopper rides over city may dampen enthusiasm
Print Edition
A BIRD’S eye-view of Shanghai may be enticing to many people, but those thrilled by the idea will have to dig deep in their pockets to enjoy the spectacular views of the city from the top.
Shanghai’s first helicopter sightseeing tour has been approved by the air traffic regulators but the 5,000 yuan (US$805.5) per person ride may put off many enthusiasts.
Shanghai KaiJet General Aviation, the operator of the service, said it plans to use the luxury EC135 Eurocopter helicopter, which can carry 5 passengers and two pilots on every trip. Each trip will last 35 minutes and take in the city’s famous sites — the Huangpu River, Shanghai World Expo site, Century Park and Gongqing Forest.
A shorter 15-minute ride costs 2,500 yuan. The company said it has two helicopters and can serve over 100 passengers per day from Gaodong Airport near Waigaoqiao port in Pudong.
A similar helicopter ride over New York costs US$150 for 15 minutes. Tokyo charges US$240, while the most popular chopper ride over the Colorado Grand Canyon costs US$300, making Shanghai the most expensive chopper trip.
Li Wenjun, assistant manager of KaiJet, said the expensive rates were mainly due to high operational costs. For now, they were only looking at “high-end customers.”
Li said that fuel costs and the route application fee to the air traffic regulators were their biggest expenses.
The private company said it had to use double engine helicopter to ensure the safety, which in turn, increased the costs and fuel consumption.
An online poll on weibo.com yesterday found close to 70 percent felt that the trip was expensive with some saying it may not be worth it with the strong haze in the air. Only 20 percent said they would be interested in the ride despite the high costs. A press officer with the KaiJet told Shanghai Daily that even with the current rates “the company would struggle to make ends meet.”
China’s low-altitude airspace — below 1,000 meters — was tightly controled by the air force but has been relaxed since last year. The airspace over Shanghai was still restricted.
It was still difficult to get the nod from the air traffic controllers on the flying route. The company said it was not given permission to fly over Lujiazui area in Pudong, which has many skyscrapers. The trips, at least for now, will only be in day time.
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