Prayagraj: To boost tourism in the area, a regular helicopter service will soon begin connecting Lucknow with Kapilvastu and Prayagraj.
The two destinations -- Kapilvastu and Prayagraj -- are significant in the context of religious tourism.
To this purpose, specialised heliports would be set up to accommodate passengers and crew with facilities such as waiting areas, lounges, cafeterias, crew quarters, restrooms, and formal reception desks.
Private sector engagement on lease and development basis has previously been sought by the UP Directorate of Tourism for the development, operation, and maintenance of heliports at Lucknow, Kapilvastu (near Gorakhpur), and Prayagraj.
A senior UP Tourism department official stated that a pre-bid meeting will be conducted on Monday. The deadline for submitting bids is August 7, and the technical bids will be opened on August 8.
"The primary objective of the proposed heliports is to provide a facility for helicopter operations in these regions, primarily to facilitate the movement of passengers between these three cities. The developers, however, will also be allowed to use the land for development of airstrip and its operation/maintenance for aero-sports, running aviation academy, or any other aviation-related activity as well," the official added.
"The heliports would be developed as Visual Flight Rules (VFR) compliant facility," he said.—Inputs from Agencies