States to introduce helicopter services to boost tourism under UDAN scheme

NEWDELHI: Travelling in the Himalayan states is set to undergo a sea change with most tourist hotspots in the region getting helicopter services in the months to come, starting with Uttarakhand in October. The trend is also set to boost the helicopter market in India, something companies such as Airbus have set their sights on.

“In the first round of regional connectivity scheme UDAN, we did not get bids for helicopter services. But it changed in the second round in which we got many. This will actually change the face of travel in the hill states. I am very excited to see the roll out,” said civil aviation secretary RN Choubey.

Uttarakhand, which has told the central government of its intention to open helicopter services from October, seeks to connect places such as Mussoorie, Dehradun, Nainital, Almora and Joshimath with other parts of the state, while Himachal Pradesh seeks to link Kullu, Mandi, Dharamshala, Shimla and Manali with the rest of the state.

Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will start operations after completing the process of giving approvals, said another civil aviation ministry official on condition of anonymity.

Experts said the scheme could prove to be a major growth driver for the helicopter services industry and manufacturers like Airbus.

Airbus said in July when it appointed Ashish Saraf as head of its helicopter division in India that its 100 units operating in the country are helping develop new market segments such as emergency services and heli-tourism.

The Centre is, however, worried about the cost of these services. “Helicopters are expensive machines,” said Choubey.

WIPRO, ITC, CADILA TAKE LEAD IN RACE TO ACQUIRE COMPLAN

ITC Ltd, Wipro Consumer Care and Cadila Healthcare Ltd are readying to submit binding offers to buy Kraft Heinz India’s popular Complan nutritional drink brand, two people directly aware of the development said.

All three bidders are expected to submit binding bids by September 15, the deadline set by the investment bankers—jp Morgan and Lazard—managing the transaction, the people cited above said, requesting anonymity as the discussions are private.

AMAZON INVESTS ANOTHER ₹2,700 CR IN ITS INDIAN UNIT

Amazon has invested an additional ₹2,700 crore ($386 million) in its Indian unit, bringing its total investment in India to roughly $4 billion in the five years that it has operated in the country, even as it continues to battle local rival and market leader Flipkart.

Amazon, which has committed to invest at least $5 billion in India and also separately allocated an additional $500 million to build out its food retail business in India, simultaneously pumped in about ₹100 crore ($14 million) into the business (Amazon Retail India Pvt. Ltd).

Amazon Seller Services, the marketplace arm of Amazon India, received the funds earlier this month, according to regulatory documents filed with the Registrar of Companies that were sourced from Paper.vc. So far, Amazon has been spending all its cash on building massive warehouses, a large logistics unit, marketing, discounts and increasing product assortment.

FLIPKART OUTPACES AMAZON IN SALES GROWTH IN JAN-JUN

The revival in the online retail market has picked up pace this year as the sale events ahead of the September-november festival season drove strong growth at the nation’s two largest e-commerce companies, Flipkart Pvt. Ltd and Amazon India.

Among the two, Flipkart, which owns the fashion retailers, Myntra and Jabong, is growing faster than Amazon, indicating the company is gaining market share over its arch-rival, even as Walmart prepares to close its purchase of a 77% stake in Flipkart over the next month.

In the six months to 30 June, gross sales at Flipkart jumped by roughly 50%, according to two people familiar with the matter. Amazon India’s gross sales increased by 35-40%, another person aware of the matter said.

PAYTM MALL TARGETS $10 BILLION IN GROSS SALES BY MARCH 2019

Alibaba Group-backed Paytm Mall is aiming for a nearly threefold rise in annualised gross sales to $10 billion by March 2019 as it ramps up efforts to garner a bigger slice of India’s expanding online retail market.