– Services to start from MOPA to Taj Exotica, South Goa
– Customers can access popular destinations in both North and South Goa under 20 minutes
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FlyBlade India (“BLADE India”), a joint venture between Hunch Ventures and Blade Urban Air Mobility, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLDE) announced the launch of its services from Goa’s new international airport – Manohar International Airport (MoPA). Travellers can book a seat in the helicopter for INR 6,000, starting 13th February 2023 to Taj Exotica, six days a week. BLADE will also be providing its personalized charter service, BLADE Anywhere, to connect destinations within Goa and neighbouring towns such as Dharwad and Hubli. The air mobility service will also expand its network in North Goa, with Fort Aguada as the next location.
Bookings for the flights are open and can be made on the BLADE India website or through the Flier Relations team at 1800 102 5233. BLADE will offer two return journeys a day in line with hotel check-in/out timings, so travellers make the most of their Goa holiday. The first return journey from the South is between 11am and 12pm, whereas the second return journey will be between 12:30pm and 1:30pm.
Commenting on the launch, Amit Dutta, Managing Director, BLADE India, said, “Goa is a hub of domestic tourism now. With travellers wanting to make the most of their time in the state, we foresee a huge demand for services such as ours that reduce travel time significantly. People can land in North Goa and check in to their hotels in south Goa all within 20 minutes, a route which otherwise takes up to 3 hours.”
BLADE is a platform for short-haul air mobility that provides better access, enables connectivity and reduces friction in travel. While BLADE uses helicopters presently, the goal is to transition to electric aviation in the future to enable access, connectivity and convenience, it works with partners like AIRBUS and Eve Air Mobility to deliver on its mission of reducing friction in travel by enabling cost-effective air transportation alternatives to some of the most congested or inaccessible ground routes. These partnerships prepare for an eventual equipment swap of conventional helicopters with Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (“eVTOL”) aircraft.
BLADE India started in November 2019, with its maiden flights in Maharashtra between Mumbai, Pune and Shirdi. Since BLADE has expanded its scheduled by-the-seat helicopter flights to Karnataka (to Coorg, Hampi, and Kabini) and Goa, launched its bed-to-bed air medevac service BLADE Care and its personalized charter service, BLADE Anywhere.
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