From sightseeing and culinary tours to activities like golf and hunting. This is the new VIP helicopter service to soar over Madrid’s skies and beyond.
“In some countries, there are people who never touch the ground. Here, that doesn’t happen because we have very strict legislation that prioritizes safety,” says Gómez, for whom this is the “ideal” mode of transportation to take clients to their hunting estates or villas—that ‘last mile’ connection for luxury passengers. A helicopter can fly for about two and a half hours. There is a segment of the public very familiar with these types of aircraft. For example, going to dinner at an exclusive place accessible only by helicopter or flying from Málaga to Marbella, which is just a 10-minute trip. “This segment of the public pays for it. It’s a mode of transportation that adds value to luxury tourism.”
PANORAMIC FLIGHTS
From the capital, the most common case is transportation to estates or golf courses in areas like Toledo and Extremadura. The other popular service is panoramic flights, usually lasting between 45 minutes and an hour. Prices start at 2,000 or 2,500 euros. However, it doubles if you want to fly in the even more luxurious Bell 429. Excursions over the skies of Aranjuez, Segovia, and Toledo are highly demanded. In reality, all destinations within a 200-kilometer radius of Madrid are popular.
“In some countries, there are people who never touch the ground. Here, that doesn’t happen because we have very strict legislation that prioritizes safety,” says Gómez, for whom this is the “ideal” mode of transportation to take clients to their hunting estates or villas—that ‘last mile’ connection for luxury passengers. A helicopter can fly for about two and a half hours. There is a segment of the public very familiar with these types of aircraft. For example, going to dinner at an exclusive place accessible only by helicopter or flying from Málaga to Marbella, which is just a 10-minute trip. “This segment of the public pays for it. It’s a mode of transportation that adds value to luxury tourism.”
PANORAMIC FLIGHTS
From the capital, the most common case is transportation to estates or golf courses in areas like Toledo and Extremadura. The other popular service is panoramic flights, usually lasting between 45 minutes and an hour. Prices start at 2,000 or 2,500 euros. However, it doubles if you want to fly in the even more luxurious Bell 429. Excursions over the skies of Aranjuez, Segovia, and Toledo are highly demanded. In reality, all destinations within a 200-kilometer radius of Madrid are popular.
Another significant advantage of flying by helicopter in Madrid, at least from the specific case of the Cuatro Vientos airfield, is privacy. There is no terminal as such, nor mundane matters like passport control. To access the Bell 429, you just need to pass through the World Aviation hangar. A fun hangar, filled with all kinds of aircraft where students of the pilot school—another arm of this conglomerate dedicated to the aviation sector—learn to fly.
On the runway await the two favorites of the company: a blue Airbus EC130 B4 and the black Bell 429 with red lines. The latter, the newest model from the American manufacturer, is the crème de la crème. “It’s the only passenger transport helicopter in Europe with the latest technical features available in a civilian helicopter today,” says Gómez. As a passenger, what stands out is how little it moves in the air. With a capacity for seven passengers plus the pilot, it has comfortable leather seats and Bose headphones that block out the rotor noise. It feels like the soundtrack of a 007 movie could start playing at any moment… In reality, what you hear are exchanges with the Cuatro Vientos control tower. It turns out there is also rush hour in Madrid’s sky.
