A helicopter shuttle service linking Suzhou’s Wujiang District and Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport completed a trial flight recently, a move that will help greatly increase travelling efficiency.
Seven-seat Airbus helicopters 135 are used for the shuttle flights. Each vehicle has two pilots and can take 5 passengers.
The helicopter flight will help cut travel time from Wujiang District to Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport from about 2 hours by land to only 17 to 20 minutes, according to the flight service provider, Shenzhen Eastern General Aviation Co. After landing on a helipad that is less than 100 meters away from the airside area of the airport, passengers can take a shuttle bus directly to the departure lounge.
After making a successful test flight, the helicopter shuttle service will start regular operation soon. Tickets can be bought on the WeChat mini-program called “Air Taxi Travel” (空中的士出行).