Elipadana
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| Founded | July 1959 |
|---|---|
| Commenced operations | May 1960 |
| Ceased operations | 1960 |
| Hubs | Milan |
| Secondary hubs | Turin |
| Fleet size | 1 |
| Parent company | Milan City Council |
| Key people | Dino Mattoli general director |
Elipadana is an defunct airline based in Milan (Italy) which attemped helicopter scheduled services in early 1960s.
History
The development of commercial helicopter operations abroad also influenced the Italian aviation world. The city of Milan was particularly sensitive, seeing the potential of the more capacious aircraft then being developed to establish regular services directly between the urban centers of several cities in Northern Italy. Thus, the City Council sponsored and became a founding member of Società Alta Italia Trasporto Elicotteri, better known as Elipadana, in July 1959, subscribing 50% of the capital; the remainder was divided between a bank and various major industries.
The first steps were relatively fast, thanks to the commitment of the company's director, Dino Mattoli. There were, however, technical difficulties and opposition from various entities, including political ones. The city, however, boasted a substantial urban environment (1,385,000 inhabitants at the time), was the beating heart of the Italian economy, and had a surrounding area dotted with large and medium-sized companies. Furthermore, it was relatively close to the Alps and picturesque lakes.
The first test flights were conducted in the fall of 1959 with a Vertol 107, leased for two months, between the hastily constructed city heliport, Malpensa airport, and the Swiss city of Lugano. Instead a Sikorsky S-62 was used to evaluate the Milan-Verona-Venice route and the connection to the island of Elba, a popular tourist and vacation destination for Nordic citizens.[1]
Scheduled flights began on May 9, 1960, with a connection between the Milan heliport on Via Restelli and the Turin heliport, located in the city center. A connection was also added between Milan and Lugano. All these services operated three times a day. The aircraft used was a Sikorsky S-58 leased from SABENA of Belgium, which had already established its own helicopter network nationwide.
This would have been a first step. Elipadana envisioned establishing a transversal East-West connection along a Turin-Milan-Verona-Venice-Trieste route. It would later also reach Genoa, Bologna, and mountain resorts during the winter season, and, in the summer, the holiday resorts on the Adriatic coast. Meanwhile, the company was also considering future developments, examining other types of aircraft then being developed: the Sikorsky S.61 and the Westland Westminster.[2]
However, the projects were not crowned with the hoped-for success, and the customer response, perhaps not sufficiently convinced by the initiative, was lukewarm at best. Flight operations were halted before the end of the year, and the company was liquidated in 1961. The Milan heliport was dismantled, and a skyscraper was built on its site. The small air terminal at the Turin heliport was also dismantled, and the area became a public park.
Destinations
- Italy
- Switzerland
Fleet
The fleet was made up by a leased Sikorsky S-58 registered OO-SHM.
References
Further reading
- T.D. Calnan, "Helicopter markets in Italy", The Aeroplane weekly magazine, London, 6 November 1959
- T.D. Calnan, "The development of air transport in Italy", The Aeroplane weekly magazine, London, 29 July 1960
See also
External links
This article "Elipadana" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Elipadana. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
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