An aerial tour of Mysuru city is definitely on the cards this Dasara, with the Department of Tourism managing to rope in a private operator to conduct rides for tourists from the Mysuru airport at Mandakalli here.
This was confirmed to The Hindu by a top official in the State’s Tourism Department.
A twin-engine five or six-seater aircraft will be flown to Mysuru for the joy rides that will offer an aerial glimpse of the city, its breathtaking palaces and the majestic Chamundi Hills.
Two trips may be operated — one in the morning and one in the evening — from October 1 to 11. “The timing of the rides, tariff and other details will be announced soon,” the official added.
The operation of the chartered flight for the aerial tour is in addition to chartered helicopters which has also been proposed during the festivities.
The Dasara Festival Committee had announced introducing affordable helicopter rides for tourists desirous of an aerial tour of the ‘City of Palaces’.
According to the plan, the choppers will take tourists on a 10-minute ride over the city’s key landmarks — the Amba Vilas Palace, Lalitha Mahal Palace and Rajendra Vilas Palace, and Chamundi Hills, which stands at a height of over 3,000 ft.
The joy aerial rides, which were a regular feature during festivities, had been discontinued for various reasons in recent years.
Joy rides on Cessna planes had been introduced during earlier Dasaras. The packages — Maharaja (two-seater) and Yuvaraja (four-seater) — had offered a 15-minute breathtaking aerial tour of Mysuru. Cessna-152 aircraft (Maharaja package) and the Cessna-172 aircraft (Yuvaraja package) had been operated by a private player.
The ride on a Cessna-152 plane had cost Rs. 2,700 a person, while on the Cessna-172 had cost Rs. 2,200 a person. The tickets were sold at the airport and through the official website of Mysuru Dasara.
Locals and tourists hope that the rides will be affordable this year.
