A Flying Taxi

US and India partners FlyBlade and Hunch Ventures believe that Indian takers for their helicopter taxis will be three times higher than that of the world’s largest aviation market, America

- Riddhi Doshi and Shikha Talwar

They want to change the way you commute within the city and outside. New York-based FlyBlade, popularly known as the Uber of helicopters, and Indian investment firm Hunch Ventures, will jointly launch a shared helicopter taxi service, which will ply people across Juhu, Mahalaxmi, Pune and Shirdi from March-April. For a couple of hundred dollars, one would be able to book a seat on a six-seater helicopter, via an app and fly to these destinations within 25 to 45 minutes. The same distances by road takes up to 210 minutes. The companies also plan to offer lounge services at their heliports, like Blade (FlyBlade’s parent company) has across the US. You can enjoy a glass of champagne, some pastries and meet your fellow travellers before being airborne.

Destination India

For FlyBlade’s first venture overseas, Founder and CEO Rob Wiesenthal chose Mumbai and Pune as they are among the most congested cities in the world. “A six-hour drive, from Mahalaxmi to Pune, to 35 minutes flying time; that is a ratio that we have not seen anywhere in the world,” says Wiesenthal. These are the kind of routes the companies look to invest in. India’s growing consumption of luxury and major brands’ entry into the market also lured Blade to come to India. “Large companies such as LVMH, Pernod Ricard and Richemont are all here. India is the key focus of our Asia strategy,” says Wiesenthal. That, coupled with a partnership with Hunch Ventures, an extensive network dedicated to luxury, reaching out to 55 million households, and their experience with Quintessentially, a high-end concierge travel service, are two assets for Blade to build a business on.