São Paulo – Watching São Paulo, the giant in motion, its cars that come and go through the streets, its people who tread the sidewalks resembling little ants. Getting a bit closer to the towers and domes of Catedral da Sé, the cables and poles of bridge Ponte Estaiada, appreciating the figures that the garden of Museu do Ipiranga form from up above. That’s how one sees the city from inside a helicopter, and this is one of the types of tours for which demand is growing the most among tourists.
A wide range of flights over the concrete jungle is available. There are companies which tailor their services based on customers’ requests, like Air Charter, and others which are specializing in increasingly exotic packages, such as Helimarte. Renata Andrade Sena, from the Helimarte commercial department, explains that in the second half this year, customer calls have boomed. At least ten people call everyday asking for information. The company offers two tours during the week, and approximately five a day in the weekend.
Helimarte offers a half-hour panoramic trip to tourist spots such as Catedral da Sé, Ponte Estaiada, Museu do Ipiranga, Avenida Paulista, and Masp. The cost is R$ 900 for three passengers. There is also the Night Air flight, for couples, offered through a partnership with hotels. The couple is received at the VIP Room of the Helimarte hangar at Campo de Marte, where they make toast with champagne, fly for 20 minutes and then are dropped off at the hotel to spend the night. The cost is R$ 2,100.
The company offers another tour called Day Air, which takes two people from São Paulo to resort Refúgio Cheiro do Mato, on the banks of the Mairiporã Dam, where they spend the night and stay until the following day. The cost is R$ 2,760. Helimarte owns three helicopters: one Robson 44, for three passengers, one Jet-Ranger, for four passengers, and one Esquilo, for five passengers.
Company Air Charter, on the other hand, has no helicopters of its own, and account manager Wellington Valente says it is an advantage, because the company can get them based on customers’ needs. Air Charter offers rides for three to eight people at a time, and prices range from R$ 2,000 to R$ 12,000.
Neither of the two companies have guides; the pilots themselves tell the passengers about the locations they fly over. Some of the pilots are English speakers. Both Air Charter and Helimarte claim that most foreign customers are American. The major line of work for all companies, however, is not tourist trips, but rather executive and company travel.
Several other companies work in the segment in São Paulo, such as Air Jet, Solihel, etc. Helimarte also flies its helicopters from São Paulo to other Brazilian states.
Service
Helimarte
Tel.: +55 11 2221-3200
Website: www.helimarte.com.br
Air Charter
Tel.: +55 11 3586-0500
Email: wv@aircharter.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum