New launches taking flight

Pawan Hans flagged off its helicopter service from Thuampui (near Aizawl), flying to nine destinations within Mizoram, on the eve of Independence Day, with the cost of a ride in the six-seater, twin-engine Dauphins being fixed at Rs 50 per minute. Pawan Hans also recently resumed chopper flights in Meghalaya, in the Guwahati&ndashShillong&ndashTura sector. Operations had been suspended last year following a crash that resulted in the death of the state&rsquos erstwhile chief minister the renewal began, fittingly, with a trip for his current successor.

At the other end of the nation, in Gujarat, Captain G.R. Gopinath&rsquos Deccan Shuttles just launched its non-scheduled chartered flights out of Ahmedabad to Surat, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar and Kandla. Fares for the nine-seater Cessna Grand Caravan are Rs 4,000-5,000 each for a 45- to 60-minute flight.