Uttarakhand chopper flying: A lot has changed for better, but a lot remains to be done

NewsIndia NewsUttarakhand chopper flying: A lot has changed for better, but a lot remains to be done Uttarakhand chopper flying: A lot has changed for better, but a lot remains to be done Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) is probing this case.The Char Dham corridor has no single agency answerable for safety.

While the DGCA licenses the operators and pilots, UCADA runs the helipads, sets slots and manages shuttle operations. The Sanjay Kumar Jha-headed parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture had in Aug 2025 called this arrangement “inherently unsafe and unsustainable.” It said there was a “responsibility vacuum” between the two agencies.

It found that the DGCA was acting as a passive licensing authority. It also noted that India still has no mandatory, terrain-specific mountain-flying training or certification for pilots operating in the Himalaya.This changed significantly after last summer following a spate of chopper crashes in Uttarakhand.

Air traffic control units are being set up, with Kedarnath having one now and Badrinath to get a unti soon. Routes have been defined in the region and take offs are both restricted in number and controlled in a defined pattern with some gap.

This is a far cry from the almost unregulated chopper movement in the hill region till last summer.“System wise there has been a lot of improvement. The Char Dham Operations are quite extensive in every aspect. From commercial to maintenance and from operations to ATC, every department is working very hard to ensure safety and efficiency is achieved.

After the season of 2025 , there are many different measures that are implemented to ensure highest safety standards are met. These include ATC at Sahastradhara and Sitapur to ensure that flying is well coordinated and controlled,” said Captain Nitin Welde, a senior chopper pilot who operates in Uttarakhand.Join conversation InsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig Development “There’s a fuel bowser at Sahastradhara to ensure that IOCL supplies fuel in best possible manner.

Take off and landing tarmac is separated from parking Tarmac to ensure orderly flow of positioning. There are CCTV cameras all across valley which give feed through a mobile app. All can get a live feed as regards weather valley.

For higher helipads above 10,000 feet, the weight limitations are in place and that ensures higher reserve of power while landing and take off. Training for pilots has increased since last year. And there is adequate training in Char Dham sector as well as Kedar shuttles.

The DGCA FOIs have been visiting the valley on a weekly basis and UCADA ops department is fully involved in a minute to minute monitoring and support,” added Captain Welde.“Friday was a sad day where it appears that weather in exit phase of Badri valley wasn’t good,” Captain Welde said.

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