Now Reading: MP to get Airbus ACH 160 helicopter in November, helipad search continues
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MP to get Airbus ACH 160 helicopter in November, helipad search continues
MP to get Airbus ACH 160 helicopter in November, helipad search continues
Madhya Pradesh will receive a new Airbus ACH 160 helicopter in November, the aviation department has confirmed. The state government has been searching for nearly two years for a suitable piece of…
The Story in Brief
Madhya Pradesh will receive a new Airbus ACH 160 helicopter in November, the aviation department has confirmed. The state government has been searching for nearly two years for a suitable piece of land near CM House and Mantralaya to build a helipad, but no site has been found fit yet. Until then, the Rs 1,200 crore chopper will be parked at the Raja Bhoj Airport hangar.
Two pilots, Adarsh Rai and Sanjay Shrivastava, leave for France on August 22 for training and will fly the helicopter back. The state's current helicopter, an EC 155 B1, is 15 years old; the average useful life of such aircraft is 20 years. The aviation department has also floated a request for proposal for technical acceptance and certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
The Indian Opinion
The search for a helipad near CM House has dragged on for two years, which fuels complaints of government inefficiency or misplaced priorities. But the real question is whether the new helicopter, replacing a soon-to-expire 15-year-old model, will actually reduce the traffic chaos caused by CM convoys as claimed. The cost of Rs 1,200 crore is a big number, watch for actual utilisation data and whether the helipad land is ever acquired.
Source: freepressjournal.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
