Coming Soon - Ariel view of Agra by Chopper for tourists

The tourism department of Uttar Pradesh will soon launch the Chopper service in Agra in collaboration with the national helicopter carrier Pawan Hans. The government is looking for at least three acres of land to construct the helipad. They are considering two locations in Agra, first option being Kheria, where the present airport is located. The other one is at Etmadpur. The final location is still under consideration.

                 

Deputy Director of the tourism department, Mr. Dinesh Kumar said, “This initiative is being taken to make tourism destinations of the state more attractive. After Vrindavan, Goverdhan and Varanasi, a helicopter service is in the pipeline in Agra and Ayodhya. Allahabad is another such destination.” He was referring to the Adityanath Yogi government’s proposal to start a chopper service from Noida for an aerial ‘parikrama’ of the Krishna circuit covering Mathura, Vrindavan and Goverdhan in September. Kumar said permission from the Indian Air Force and the home ministry would be sought to fly helicopters in Agra city. “We are hopeful that the department will get the permission at the earliest. We plan to start the service by October,” the official added.

The government is looking forward to include The Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Sikandra and Shiva temple for the chopper ride. This ride will last for 20 minutes. Some experts are also suggesting to include Fatehpur Sikri too. This scheme was suppose to start in 2016 but due to the election, the decision was delayed. The ride is expected to start in October this year. The amount for the tourist is yet to be decided.

This step has been taken by the government to attract more tourists every year. At the same time, the tourists in Agra will be able to stay for longer duration. As of now, Agra has hot air balloon ride only for the Taj Mahal and it is started by private firm.