5/12/2018
PUNE: Fly Blade
Inc., the largest arranger of helicopter flights for civilian travel in
the US, will start its India operations in March 2019, with services between
Mumbai and Pune.
The helicopters will take off from Juhu and Mahalaxmi in
Mumbai. After Pune, the services will be extended to Shirdi.The American
company is launching its India operations, its first outside the US, in
partnership with Hunch Ventures, a Delhi-based equity investment firm that
has deployed over $100 million in consumer-facing business in India.
The joint venture will be called Blade India. "The
service will help customers avoid large commercial airports entirely as they
transform unpredictable four to eight hours drive into short 35-minute
flights," said Rob Wiesenthal, CEO of Blade.
The joint venture promises to price the flights
"significantly lower" than private chartered jets. A private
chartered jet from Mumbai to Pune can cost about $8,000. "Our service will
be priced downward of what a private jet will cost," said Wiesenthal. The
service's USP will be in helping customers avoid the commute to airports.
“Given the challenges of building transportation
infrastructure in our country, we will utilize India’s existing network of
heliports to launch a UAM (urban air mobility) solution immediately," said
Karanpal Singh, Founder of Hunch.
The joint venture will partner with Hunch portfolio
companies, which include Quintessentially, the largest luxury travel concierge
in India, and a customer loyalty programme that includes 3 lakh high net worth
individuals.
Amar Abrol, who till May this year was heading AirAsia India,
will be the CEO of the India operations. Blade India, like its US parent, will
have an asset-light model and will partner with owners of helicopters to offer
flight services. "We have already signed a few agreements with helicopter
owners. We will be signing more," said Abrol.
0 comments:
Post a Comment