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Industry professionals are starting to realise the need to sell customers a travel experience and offering them helicopter tours and travel can fulfil this requirement.

An aerial tour of a modern wonder of the world is often a one-off opportunity and the helicopter industry across the globe is starting to harness demand for such experiences.

Standard sightseeing tours are evolving into more elaborate packages that add greater value to the high costs of chartering a helicopter.

Most operators offer attractive incentives for agents, and with helicopter charter prices ranging from $2500 to $20,000, the potential for earning extra commission is huge.

For the leisure market, luxury helicopter travel offers an exciting way to view famous tourist attractions such as Niagara Falls, Victoria Falls and Australia's Great Barrier Reef, tours of which are bestsellers for helicopter companies.

Innovative operators are combining standard aerial tours with side trips to nearby attractions and these are proving particularly popular with the meetings and incentives market.

Business travellers today have greater choice when it comes to private air transfers, with helicopters making a serious bid for the transport mode of choice, serving time poor, cash rich clients.

The Middle East's helicopter industry is still in its infancy, as with the exception of the UAE, there is little call for leisure tours in the region.

But there are exceptions; tour operators in Jordan have had requests for transfers to Petra or the Dead Sea from Amman, but government restrictions mean that private commercial companies are not permitted to operate helicopter business.

Charter companies are therefore required to send requests for helicopter services to the Jordanian military, explains Teemar Asou, assistant operations manager, Jordanian Private Jets Services.

"Helicopter transfers are popular with businessmen or VIPs who don't want to spend their time travelling in a car," he explains. "We provide a full service from meet and assist to transfers to the helicopter and so on."

Back in the UAE, helicopter companies offer both leisure and corporate services, but Dubai Airwing-owned HeliDubai is the operator of choice for luxury flights.

It offers a small fleet of aircraft, each of which carries up to 10 passengers and is fitted with spacious leather seats.

"We fly businessmen to Abu Dhabi and back in the same morning and people with early morning meetings," says Captain Barry Smith, commercial director, HeliDubai.

"Nowadays time is money - you could be down in Abu Dhabi in 30 minutes from Dubai International Airport feeling nice and fresh climbing out of an air-conditioned helicopter."

Smith says the leisure component of the company's business is largely sourced from Russia, but he expects the market to grow as more luxury developments are built in Dubai.

"The further down the line we get with offshore projects like The Palm and The World, the more scope there is for expansion. The only way to get to The World is by boat or by helicopter at the moment," he explains.

"Then you have upcoming projects like Dubailand; the further they go out into the desert the more necessity there is for helicopter transport."

Other contenders in the helicopter charter market include Dubai-based Aerogulf and Abu-Dhabi based Falcon Aviation Services (FAS), which is reported to be looking into entering the Dubai market.

Their services include sightseeing tours of Dubai, taking in some of the key sights such as Sheikh Zayed Road, The Palm Jumeirah, The Burj Al Arab, and The World.

Other options include transfers from the airport to hotels such as the Burj Al Arab, Emirates Towers, Kempinski Mall of the Emirates, or the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.

"In order to appreciate the wonders of Abu Dhabi and Dubai you need to see them from the air, thus putting everything into perspective," explains Jason Martin, commercial director, FAS.

"The Islands around Abu Dhabi have been compared to the Maldives. The World Islands and Palm Jumeirah must be seen from the air to be appreciated. A helicopter tour is definitely a must-do for all visitors to the UAE."

FAS has plans to partner with Dubai-based travel company Alpha Tours to offer leisure helicopter tours through travel agents from July 15, but the company was unable to disclose any detailed information when ATN went to press.

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