The chairman of the global aviation major Sky One says that recent orders by charter operators, the government’s focus on helicopter services in UDAN, and the rise in spiritual tourism will propel this expansion. In January, Airbus Helicopters announced a strategic partnership with the Tata Group to establish India’s first private-sector Final Assembly Line (FAL) for civil helicopters.
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This collaboration aims to produce Airbus’ popular H125 single-engine civil helicopter at the FAL, catering to the Indian market and neighboring countries. Simultaneously, Heritage Aviation, an Indian aircraft charter company, has placed orders for H125 and H130 Airbus helicopters to operate under the Government’s Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) UDAN.
Recent initiatives by the Uttar Pradesh government to offer helicopter services to Ayodhya from Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Agra, and Mathura and subsidized helicopter services launched for tourists in Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch, Rajouri, Bandipora, and Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir also indicate the growing demand for expanded helicopter services in India.
“The recent developments can be considered as pointers to the scope for the expansion of helicopter services in India. The key market drivers include the significant emphasis on connectivity enhancement, the increasing popularity of tourism and leisure activities, the growth of spiritual tourism, and the rising need for business and corporate travel. These factors create demands for quick and convenient aerial connectivity, especially in areas with limited access to conventional airports, offering more scope for expansion of chopper services,” says Jaideep Mirchandani, Group Chairman of the UAE-based aviation major Sky One.
He says that key steps taken by the government, such as dedicating UDAN 5.2 specifically for helicopter routes and launching the Heli Sewa Portal, a platform to create an ecosystem between the helicopter operators and district authorities to promote travel, tourism, and enhance last-mile connectivity, have further boosted the helicopter industry in India.
“In the interim budget presented earlier this month, the government unveiled plans to give more thrust to tourism development by encouraging states to identify iconic tourist spots and develop them. This will create fresh opportunities for chopper operators to expand their services to new destinations,” adds Mr. Mirchandani.
Highlighting some of the Heli-hub/heliport projects, including the one in Gurugram, he says that their emergence will also pave the way for the growth of the helicopter MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) industry in India. “We can also expect more collaborative efforts for the launch of new Commercial Helicopter Pilot License (CHPL) Training Institutes in the country,” he concludes.