Airbus To Provide Uber With Helicopters

CEO Tom Enders from Airbus, the major aircraft manufacturer, has announced that his company will be providing helicopters to Uber. Traditionally when we talk about Uber, we are talking about its car service that allows customers to order up a ride using an app on their smartphones to get where they need to go.

With Uber, signing a deal to procure helicopters it's clear that the company is preparing to move up market and severe the wealthy and business users who can't be bothered with traffic. Enders didn't talk about the financial aspects of the deal, but did note that this was a pilot project.

The Uber pilot project will launch at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Helicopter availability isn't the first time that Uber has branched out from its traditional automotive service. Uber offers on-demand rickshaws in India and boats in Turkey.

Uber did test a helicopter service that operated between Manhattan and the Hamptons in 2013. Uber also previously offered helicopter rides for the Cannes Film Festival and for the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival previously. In the past helicopter ride costs with Uber has ranged between a few hundred dollars and a few thousand dollars. Pricing for the new service hasn't been announced.

SOURCE: WSJ