According to the information revealed by Karnataka Principal Secretary for Tourism K Jothiramalingam, an aviation operator from Delhi had already won a tender for operating 2 helicopters from Hampi for the heli tourism. Under the terms of conditions, the state government has offered to underwrite 30 hours of travel a month per helicopter.
Also, a base with hanger facilities is being built at Hampi at the total cost of Rs 5 crore. The helicopter tourism that will be made available on 4 circuits – heritage, beach, religious and Malnad will be mostly overnight trips. On one of the highest-flying routes - Hampi-Bijapur route, tourists would be taken to Badami, Pattadakal and Aihole from Hospet, with the option of having breakfast or lunch at Tungabhadra dam.
Targeting mainly the business and leisure clients, the fares of the packages depends on the kind of aircraft chosen and the number of flying hours involved.
