New heli-service in Uttarakhand will not hurt your wallet

Flagging off the first helicopter service by Pawan Hans in Uttarakhand under the UDAN-RCS scheme, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the launch of the heli-service will support tourism in the region.

Commencement of the new heli services will enhance the aerial connectivity between hilly regions in Uttarakhand and bring down the average travel time to 20-25 minutes. This will also assist the Char Dham Yatra pilgrims. Char Dham is a set of four pilgrimage sites in India comprising Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri and Rameswaram.

Pawan Hans Ltd will operate thrice-weekly helicopter services on this route. Viability Gap Funding (VGF) is provided to both operators and passengers under the UDAN scheme to keep the fares affordable for the common people. Accordingly, the fare for these routes is Rs 2,900 per seat.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) awarded the Dehradun-New Tehri-Srinagar-Gauchar route to Pawan Hans Ltd under the UDAN 2 bidding process.

Two more networks connecting Dehradun to Ramnagar, Pantnagar, Nainital, Almora, Pithoragarh, and Dehradun to Mussoorie will also be operationalised soon. 

UDAN-RCS is a regional airport and development scheme of the government of India, with the objective of enabling every citizen of the country to fly.