BLADE India is expanding its intra-city helicopter services in Bengaluru by launching a new route between Bengaluru International Airport and Hosur Aerodrome. This move is part of the company’s expansion plan and is being carried out by FlyBlade India, a joint venture between Hunch Ventures and BLADE Air Mobility.
The new route is expected to simplify commuting between North and South Bengaluru and provide a more convenient and efficient transportation option for residents.
BLADE India began operations in November 2019 with scheduled by-the-seat helicopter flights between Mumbai, Pune and Shirdi in Maharashtra. Since then, the company has expanded its services to other locations in India such as Karnataka (Coorg, Hampi and Kabini) and Goa, and launched additional services such as BLADE Care, an air medevac service, and BLADE Anywhere, a personalized charter service.
BLADE India partners with companies like AIRBUS and Eve Air Mobility to improve transportation options and reduce travel friction on congested or inaccessible routes. These partnerships will eventually lead to a transition from conventional helicopters to electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
BLADE Intra-city Helicopter Services in Bengaluru
The new route being introduced by BLADE India will significantly reduce the travel time between Hosur and the airport. Currently, the journey takes up to 3 hours by road, but with the new intra-city helicopter service, the same journey can be completed in under 20 minutes. This will greatly increase efficiency and convenience for travelers as they will no longer have to spend hours on the road and going through airport formalities before their flight.
BLADE India has announced that in the coming months, it will be adding more landing points within the city. The firm has plans to add Electronic City and Whitefield as additional landing points to its current route, providing more options and convenience for the passengers.
Pricing and availability
The new route between Bangalore International Airport and Hosur Aerodrome will be operational starting January 11th, and is available for bookings on the BLADE India website or through the Flier Relations team at 1800 102 5233.
The flights can be booked at an initial cost of Rs. 6000* per person, similar to booking an air ticket. The new route from BLADE India will have flights departing from Bangalore International Airport in the morning and returning in the evening.
Service Timings
In addition, BLADE has increased its daily flights between the BLADE helipad near the airport and the city center, now offering three flights a day from 8:45am to 10:30am and return journeys between 3:45pm to 5pm.
Commenting on the launch of Hosur Aerodrome, Amit Dutta, Managing Director, BLADE India said,
Hosur is a bustling hub of IT and manufacturing companies and MNCs. With many corporate travelers and locals alike having to travel domestically and internationally for work, spending up to 3 hours on the road on a short business trip can be an inconvenience and unproductive. The option now is between spending around 3 hours on the road or a quick 20 minute flight and corporate travelers are opting for efficiency over costs. Our goal is to make Bengaluru well connected through the skies with various landing points within the city in the coming months.