For decades, travelling across Himachal Pradesh has meant long hours on narrow, winding roads, often at the mercy of weather and terrain. On Tuesday, that reality took a small but significant turn as Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu flagged off a new heli taxi service from Shimla, offering a faster way to move through the hills.
The service was launched from the Sanjauli heliport and will connect Shimla with destinations such as Kullu, Reckong Peo in Kinnaur, and Chandigarh. For locals and travellers alike, the move promises shorter travel times and a more dependable alternative to road journeys that can stretch endlessly during peak seasons or bad weather.
Officials said the heli taxi service has been introduced under the Centre’s UDAN regional connectivity scheme, with fares kept within a reasonable range. Ticket prices are expected to be between ₹3,000 and ₹4,000, depending on the route, making the service accessible beyond just luxury travellers.
Mountain travel in Himachal has always come with challenges. Landslides during the monsoon, snow-covered roads in winter, and traffic bottlenecks during tourist season often leave people stranded for hours—or even days. The new heli service is expected to ease some of that pressure, particularly for remote areas that struggle with consistent road access.
Apart from tourism, the service could prove critical in emergencies. The Sanjauli heliport is located close to the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, allowing for quicker medical evacuations and emergency transfers when road travel becomes difficult or impossible.
Tourism stakeholders have welcomed the move, calling it a timely addition to the state’s transport network. With faster access to regions like Kinnaur and Kullu, officials believe the service could help distribute tourist traffic more evenly while giving visitors a new way to experience the state’s dramatic landscape from the air.
The state government has also hinted at expanding heli taxi services to more destinations in the future, as additional heliports are planned across Himachal Pradesh. While the service is still in its early days, it reflects a growing push to modernise travel in the hills without losing sight of the region’s unique challenges.
For now, Shimla’s heli taxi launch marks a step towards making mountain travel quicker, safer, and more reliable—bringing the promise of the skies a little closer to everyday journeys in the hills.
