Frequent visitors to China’s Pearl River Delta not only have more transportation options but also can enjoy better travel experience.
As part of its commitment to the government to upgrade the territory’s helicopter shuttle services, Sky Shuttle Helicopters Limited recently unveiled its new heliport and passenger lounge in Hongkong. It also introduced brand new Augusta Westland (AW) 139 helicopters to its fleet.
The company, which has an 18-year government contract, runs the cross-border helicopter shuttle services between Hongkong and Macau and between Macau and Shenzhen.
“The investment and commitment to these significant projects realises our vision of taking the company to the next level of exceeding passenger expectations,” said Cheyenne Chan, Sky Shuttle chief executive officer.
The new heliport terminal has stylish interiors. It has more check-in counters and a bigger passenger lounge equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity and improved F&B services.
The passenger and operational support areas as well as the new aluminium heli-deck occupy about 6,503sqm of new floor area constructed over three floors above the Hongkong-Macau Ferry Terminal.
This is only the first phase of the infrastructure development at the heliport terminal. The second phase is already underway and it involves total renovation of its existing helipad. Furthermore, Sky Shuttle plans to upgrade its facility at the Macau Maritime Terminal in the second half of the year.
Meanwhile, Sky Shuttle has also introduced its two brand new AW139 helicopters to its fleet.
Claimed to be the most advanced helicopter in its class, the 12-seater AW139 chopper features a larger cabin, more comfortable seats and low interior noise. Flying at 300kmh, it can shorten the 16-minute journey between Hongkong and Macau by two minutes.
Sky Shuttle expects to deploy all six of the brand new AW139 by July to totally replace its fleet of five Sikorsky helicopters, which has been operating since 1998.
For more details, visit www.skyshuttlehk.com.
Joshua Tan
