To facilitate Ram devotees and tourists visiting Ayodhya Dham, the Yogi Adityanath government is introducing helicopter services to Ramnagri from six districts of the state.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will inaugurate the helicopter service from Lucknow.
The government has also fixed the fare of helicopter service.
“Ram devotees and tourists will be offered helicopter services from Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Lucknow, Prayagraj, Mathura and Agra. Plans are underway to expand this service to more districts of the state in the near future,” a government official said.
In addition to this, the Yogi government is introducing an aerial darshan of Ayodhya city and the Ram temple for devotees. The Tourism department has been assigned responsibility for this initiative. Devotees interested in having aerial darshan will need to make advance bookings to avail of the facility.
Principal Secretary (Tourism) Mukesh Meshram said for aerial darshan of the Ram temple, the helicopter rides will take off from the helipad near the Tourism Guest House along the banks of the river Sarayu.
The devotees will enjoy an aerial tour covering renowned tourist destinations, including Ram temple, Hanuman Garhi and Sarayu ghat. The duration of this air journey is set at a maximum of 15 minutes, with a fixed fare of Rs 3,539 per devotee.
Each helicopter ride can accommodate up to five devotees, with a weight limit of 400 kg. Devotees are allowed to carry a maximum of 5 kg of luggage. Additionally, helicopter services will be available for the 126-km distance from Gorakhpur to Ayodhya Dham, completing the journey in 40 minutes. The fare for this service is fixed at Rs 11,327 per devotee, Meshram pointed out.
Tourism Director Prakhar Mishra said in the first phase, helicopter service was being started from six religious places, including the capital Lucknow and in the coming time, it would be expanded as per demand.
Mishra shared that devotees could access the helicopter services from Namo Ghat in Varanasi, covering a distance of 160 km in just 55 minutes, with a fixed fare of Rs 14,159 per devotee.
Additionally, services are available from Ramabai ground in Lucknow, covering 132 km in 45 minutes at the same fare.
Helicopter services are also available from the helipad near the Tourism Guest House in Prayagraj, covering 157 km in 50 minutes with a fare of Rs 14,159 per devotee. Furthermore, devotees can opt for helicopter services from the helipad near Govardhan Parikrama in Barsana, Mathura, and the helipad near Agra Expressway in Agra. These longer routes, spanning 456 km and 440 km, respectively, take 135 minutes, with a fixed fare of Rs 35,399 per devotee.
It is important to note that the fixed-fares for helicopter services are one-way, and devotees traveling from Ayodhya Dham will need to pay the revised fare. The frequency of helicopter flights to Ayodhya Dham will be adjusted based on the number of devotees, ensuring a daily service from each destination.
