KATE SARSFIELD / LONDON
Scheduled flights due to start next year between New York and Washington with nation-wide expansion set to follow
US helicopter charter operator America Rising plans to launch a scheduled shuttle service in the middle of next year with a fleet of Agusta/Bell AB139s and SikorskyS-92s. The service is expected to be available nation-wide within five years and the Washington DC-based operator says it may add the 30-seat AgustaWestland EH101 as demand rises.
America Rising received US Department of Transportation approval early last month to set up its inaugural service between the downtown districts of New York and Washington DC. "We were planning to start operations later this year using Sikorsky S-76s, but we decided against it," says America Rising chairman Steve Walker. "Not only is the [12-seat] aircraft too small for our requirements, it does not have de-icing. With the very cold winters in New York and in Washington, we have worked out this could affect operations on one in every three days during the season." The 19-seat S-92 received US certification late last year, while the 15-seat AB139 is scheduled for US and European approval in the fourth quarter.
America Rising is holding talks with Sikorsky and Agusta/Bell and an order decision will be made soon, says Walker. "We will start the service with three helicopters, a mix ofAB139s and S-92s, and by our first full year of operation we expect to have up to five helicopters on the New York to Washington route," he adds.
Walker says America Rising "is on the verge of creating a whole new industry for the helicopter and we are looking hard at where else it makes sense to launch a service." Ideal city pairs, Walker suggests, include Dallas to Houston, and Chicago to Detroit and Indianapolis. A New York to Boston service is planned for 2005, Walker adds.
"Our research discovered that thousands of passengers commute by airline between New York and Washington daily, which from the airport to downtown can take up to 4h. Our service cuts out time wasting at the airport and the flight time is only about 75min." The cost of a round trip is $800, compared with around $450 for an airline seat, but Walker is confident America Rising's target market, which consists of top company executives and wealthy individuals, will be prepared to pay this "to speed up their journey".
Source: Flight International
