Pune, The civil aviation ministry’s gliding centre at Hadapsar has been selected to be the nerve centre for operating the proposed regular helicopter service between Pune and Mumbai. The ministry is testing the feasibility of the service that aims to offer a reasonable substitute to high-cost airlines working on short routes.

Top officials like Arun Mishra, joint secretary to the ministry, and R.P. Sahi, director of airworthiness at the Director General of Cďvil Aviation (DGCA) office has visited the gliding centre on September 4 for a preliminary survey to finalising the option of building a heliport at the centre. The two officials were accompanied by the representatives of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd (PHHL), the public-sector undertaking, which is to operate the proposed chopper service. The company top brass intends to have a look at the location for finalising details, said Manish Rokade, PHHL manager (marketing).

The gliding centre, which trains youngsters for glider pilot licenses, is the India’s only operational facility of its kind under the DGCA. It is stretched over 230 acres of land. A major portion of this land has remained vacant for years. The centre has a couple of hangars, one of which houses the six mid-size non-motorised two-seater trainer aircraft, used for daily flying exercises. A one-km-long unpaved airstrip and a small administrative block make up for the remaining facility.

Barring the odd movement, there are limitations for helicopters to operate on a service basis from the Lohegaon civil enclave, which is part of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Lohegaon air base. The air traffic control (ATC) at Lohegaon is manned by the IAF. Developing an alternative site for the helicopter service is viewed by the authorities as a more suitable option.

The projected service seemed acceptable considering the demand from corporates, business and leisure industry segments for alternative hassle-free air transport on short routes, an airline official said. However from the viewpoint of a scheduled full-fledge passenger service, the distance between Pune-Mumbai is a factor, an airline official said.

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