Flyers upset as joy rides are suspended

Flyers who wanted to witness Ganpati immersion from sky via aircraft on low rates are facing disappointment as the operators who were offering such services have suspend the service, owning to monsoon and low visibility.

According to the sources from charter aviation industry, Aman Aviation along with IRCTC and Pawanhans in collaboration with MTDC were offering joy rides in the city on low fares in comparison to other private operators. As they have suspended their service, passengers who had planned to witness Ganpati immersion from the sky have been forced to pay a heavy amount to private operators for the witnessing the same spectacle.

While Pawanhans and Aman were offering this service they charge around Rs 3,000 per passenger. Now, however, in other private charters four-seater aircrafts, passengers are forced to pay Rs 5,000 for the same.

An official from Juhu aerodrome which provides runway to these operators said, “Earlier we expected more Ganpati immersion joy rides but later these operators stopped these services. So we are seeing less than expected flying.”

An official said as visibility was low due to monsoon, flying a helicopter was not safe in the city. It was also impossible for tourists to enjoy the city sights from the sky due to clouds, he said.

Pallavi Tiwari, an employee of a private firm and a regular joy ride traveller, told The Asian Age that when Pawanhans had started the flying she had gone for it, and wanted to take her in-laws during the Ganpati festival. She said now she has no other option but to suspend her plan.

However, Sanjay Kumar, GM of Pawanhans western region said they are planning to start the services again from the first week of October. “...The money of passengers will go waste due to lack of visibility,” he said.