Story ID: 
Blade India Launches Mumbai-Pune Service
By: Mark Huber
Caption: Blade India using Bell 407 and Airbus H130 aircraft to slash travel times. 
Word Count: 166
Helicopter rideshare service Blade, which began local service in India late last year in partnership with Hunch Ventures, has begun operating daily flights between Mumbai and Pune with a per-seat price of $200. According to Blade India, the flight time on this route is just 45 minutes as opposed to four hours via ground transportation.

Blade India, which flies a fleet of Bell 407 and Airbus H130 helicopters, said it will soon launch per seat service from Bengaluru and intra-city service in Mumbai. Private charter is currently offered from Mumbai, Pune, and Shirdi and anywhere else in India via service partners at rates beginning at $1,276 per hour.

Per-seat customers can purchase discounted seasonal packs of 10 and 30 flights, valid for one-way travel with one date change allowed. Ground congestion in India is estimated to cost in excess of $22 billion annually. Blade India is following strict Covid-19 protocols including touchless temperature checks, mandatory wearing of PPE and masks, and electrostatic aircraft decontamination before each flight.