Dehradun: Two days after a tragic helicopter crash near Kedarnath claimed seven lives, the suspension on heli services for the Char Dham Yatra was officially lifted on Tuesday. However, no sorties took place as inclement weather in the Kedar Valley forced authorities to keep helicopters grounded.
The June 15 crash, involving a chopper operated by Aryan Aviation, occurred amid low visibility conditions near Guptkashi. All seven people on board, including the pilot and a family of three from Maharashtra, lost their lives. The incident prompted the Uttarakhand government to suspend all heli operations on the Char Dham route for two days and initiate a high-level inquiry.
There were no sorties yesterday due to the poor weather
While the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) cleared flights to resume from June 17, bad weather played spoilsport, halting all operations. “The weather in the Kedar Valley remained unfavourable, so no helicopters could take off for Kedarnath,” confirmed Rahul Chaubey, Rudraprayag’s District Tourism Officer and Heli Service Nodal Officer. Govind Nair, CEO, Thumby Aviation, also confirmed that there were no sorties yesterday due to the poor weather and there is no sign of improvement in the weather today.
The crash has reignited concerns over the safety of helicopter operations in the treacherous Himalayan terrain. Pilots navigating the Char Dham sector face multiple challenges, including rapidly changing weather, high altitudes, and narrow valleys. These factors, experts say, demand extreme caution and experienced flying crews.
Civil Aviation Ministry suspended Aryan Aviation’s operations for the Char Dham Yatra
In response to the crash, the Civil Aviation Ministry suspended Aryan Aviation’s operations for the Char Dham Yatra and directed the DGCA to deploy officers from airworthiness, safety, and operations divisions to monitor all helicopter activity in the Kedarnath Valley. Additionally, the licences of two TransBharat Aviation pilots were suspended for six months after it was found they had flown in similarly poor weather conditions.
The Ministry has also asked the DGCA to review the functioning of UCADA’s command-and-control room, which oversees heli operations in the region. The move is part of a broader push to tighten safety protocols and ensure strict compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs).
Heli services would only continue under rigorous oversight and weather clearance; CM Dhami
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who had earlier announced the suspension, reiterated that passenger safety remains the government’s top priority. He emphasized that heli services would only continue under rigorous oversight and weather clearance.
