HO CHI MINH CITY, June 9 (Xinhua) -- A Vietnamese state-run helicopter company conducted a test flight here on Friday for its air taxi service.
The Southern Vietnam Helicopter Company will pick up passengers on the roof of a 164-meter building named Times Square in Ho Chi Minh City's District 1 to the city-based Tan Son Nhat international airport and elsewhere on demand, the state-run firm said.
The company will also transport passengers from the airport to the building, using EC-155B1 produced by Airbus Helicopters which can carry two pilots and 12 passengers.
Ho Chi Minh City currently has some 10 helipads on the roofs of tall buildings, which can be used for fire fighting, rescue activities and air taxi services, said the municipal Fire Prevention and Fight Bureau.
In 2015, the Northern Vietnam Helicopter Company started offering flights to popular sites in Vietnam's northern region, including Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh province, Sapa in Lao Cai province, Trang An and Bai Dinh in Ninh Binh province, and Mai Chau in Hoa Binh province, at a fare of 2,640 U.S. dollars per hour for a group of six or seven passengers.
