Couple's married life gets vertical liftoff

A pair of high-flying newlyweds became the first couple in Beijing to fly in a helicopter to and from their wedding ceremony at the weekend.

However, their joy ride hit some unexpected turbulence, after temporary flight restrictions were imposed on parts of the capital on Sunday.

The couple rented the chopper, a Eurocopter A350, from Beijing Capital Helicopter Company (BCHC) on Sunday, at a cost of over 30,000 ($4,755) per hour. After taking off from Badaling Airport, it was scheduled to pick them up from a high-end club near the East Fourth Ring Road, but after low altitude flights were temporarily suspended, the couple's flight to the Bird's Nest was postponed to Sunday afternoon.

Previously other couples had booked the helicopter for their nuptials, but this was the first to actually go ahead, said Song Liang, public relations employee at BCHC.

"There were cancellations before because of routes, weather or improper landing locations, but Sunday was a success in all aspects," said Song.

Song explained the necessary preparations before civilian flights can take off over the capital.　

"We must report the flight plan to aviation authorities a week before for approval, and then again right before the flight itself," said Song.

But the 30,000 yuan charge per hour does not include the cost for the paperwork, or the one-hour flight time from Badaling, Song said.

But not everyone thinks that people should celebrate their happy day in the sky.

"I don't see the necessity to encourage helicopter usage for weddings in the capital, where much of the airspace is controlled," said Zhang Qihuan, a professor at the Civil Aviation Management Institute of China.

"Perhaps the idea interests many rich people here, but there are safety concerns," he said.

BCHC has been flying tourists over the Great Wall since last June, and has flown over 1,000 passengers, half from abroad, said Song.

"Though currently it's less popular with the locals, we see huge potential as we know how much Chinese like a fancy wedding ceremony," said Song.