Customers offered 60 second flights across the Thames
For years billionaires, film stars and business tycoons arriving in West London by helicopter have complained that the heliport is in Battersea, on the wrong side of the Thames.
Now a top consultant has proposed a solution - a second helipad situated across the river in Fulham.
Explains gyro efficiency consultant Ira Opfoll: " Instead of being faced with a time-consuming journey from Battersea by road, customers in future can simply take a one minute helicopter flight across to Fulham."
Ira has identified a disused riverfront site to the west of Sainsbury's car park as an ideal site for the helipad. "The site has already been cleared and it is some distance away from houses on Townmead Road so noise should not be a problem.
"There is plenty of space to land a helicopter safely and there will be a Limousine service ready to take customers to Kings Road in minutes and then onto destinations such as the City," he says.
The 60 second flights are expected to be priced around £250 for a one way ticket. "The flights will reduce the journey time across London by up to 30 minutes. For the calibre of people using this premium service, their valuable time is worth far more than £500 an hour, so the flights will be very cost effective, " says Ira, CEO of consultancy Choppers on the Block.
Ira adds that though Hammersmith and Fulham Council have not yet given final approval to the plan, their discussions have been "highly productive."
He says: "I am confident they will agree with me that this is an exciting and eminently sensible scheme."
April 1, 2009
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