Rainbow Air’s new $25 million, 30,000 square foot Tourism Center on Acheson Drive is now open for business in time for the Fourth of July weekend.
What the company has billed as Niagara Falls’ biggest new tourism offering in decades looks to provide more than views from above. Visitors can take their own virtual paraglide ride or learn about what helicopters used to be manufactured in the region.
“We saw a lot of potential in Niagara, I think we just needed somebody to start the ball rolling,” said Rainbow Air Vice President Anne Pierce. “The visitors are here and they’re here to see the Falls. They’re here to experience everything here. We kind of had to give them a place to come and do the helicopter tour.”
This is also central to Rainbow Air’s plan to become a year-round operation rather than seasonal. Destination Niagara President and CEO John Percy said tourism brought in more than $1 billion to Niagara County in 2023, compared to $451 million in 2010.
“I can’t wait to see it from the air in the wintertime,” said Sales and Marketing Manager Patrick Keyes. “I’ve always loved seeing the Falls in the winter, just because it’s such a vastly different landscape.”
Two new Airbus H-130 helicopters assembled in Fort Erie, Ont., have replaced McDonnell Douglas helicopters used for flying, painted blue with a golden swirl of Niagara Falls on the sides. They have a capacity of seven passengers, an interior quiet enough for an audio tour to play, and the capability to reach a flight height of 3,000 feet quicker than before while being less of a noise nuisance.
At peak operations, the two helicopters can handle a combined 64 flights a day, carrying 2,000 total passengers in that time.
The concrete landing area next to the center has one helipad and a staging area for riders to board. The helicopters are stored in a hangar in the building’s rear, with two parking pads next to it and room to add more.
Elsewhere inside the main building built by Waterbourne Construction Advisors, guests can look at various helicopter models that were manufactured at the old Bell Aircraft facility in Wheatfield, on loan from the Niagara Aerospace Museum. There is the cockpit of a Vietnam War-era Model 204 B helicopter for people to sit in.
A separate enclosed space holds the Flight Deck, a virtual reality experience from Welsh developer Paradrop VR where people can paraglide over Niagara Falls. Starting from 3,500 feet in the air, riders can either aim for different targets on their way down or have a relaxing ride.
Keyes said that since helicopter rides are not something everyone wants to do, whether by cost or fear of flying, but they wanted to offer more entertainment options for them to enjoy.
Construction work had been going on since February 2024, the entire facility costing more than $25 million. The building cost $15 million, the two new helicopters cost $4.5 million each, and the virtual reality room cost around $2 million.
Rainbow Air has been taking off from Niagara Falls International Airport for the past two seasons, having previously flown from near the Niagara Gorge since 1995.
The new flight path for helicopters will go over Goat Island before making a loop over downtown Niagara Falls. After flying over the Rainbow Bridge, the helicopter will go along the Canadian side to get a view of the Horseshoe Falls before turning around and going back the same way to the helipad. Flights take between 12 and 14 minutes depending on weather conditions.
This opening comes amid high tensions between the United States and Canada, with a significant decrease in border crossings from Canadians coming into New York this year. Keyes previously told the Gazette that international guests make up 75% of their business.
Pierce said they still have faith in international visitors coming, given they do not have lots of opportunities for helicopter rides in Europe and Asia over a natural wonder like Niagara Falls.
“That is a great market in addition to our domestic market,” Pierce said. “There’s a lot of people who have never seen the Falls from the air. I think they’ll take the opportunity if they have the chance.”
Plans are already underway for turning the gallery space currently holding Bell helicopter models into a heritage gallery within the next year, with different stations focusing on different aspects of Niagara Falls history.
“We’re just so excited and so relieved that it’s all here and it’s all built,” said Pierce. “Actually seeing it built I think has reenergized everybody.”