Beijing activates highest helipad for emergency rescue and sightseeing

A photo taken on Jan 6, 2015 shows a helicopter landing on the rooftop helipad of the China World Summit Wing for a test emergency flight in Beijing’s CBD area. The successful flight marked the capital’s highest helipad officially being put in use. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Following successful test flights earlier this week, the capital's highest helipad - on the rooftop of the 81st floor of the China World Summit Wing - was officially put into service, to provide both emergency rescue and sightseeing services.

The trial emergency flight was conducted jointly by host China World Trade Center, Beijing Emergency Medical Center and Reignwood Star, the helicopter provider. The service is expected to transport clients in need of emergency services to and from the city center by air.

The business flight featured a helicopter trip carrying four passengers in a fleet-size Bell 429, which toured along the East Fourth Ring Road from the CBD area to Wangjing before returning to land on the helipad 330m above the ground.

The downtown area used to be a no-go zone for commercial helicopters for safety reasons, but the government has gradually been opening up low-altitude airspace in recent years, making helicopter trips possible in metropolitan areas.