Pawan Hans Limited, a Government of India enterprise, has resumed providing daily helicopter flight services from Phata in Uttarakhand to the holy site of Kedarnath from earlier this month.
The Phata helipad is located 2 kilometres beyond Phata and is linked by a motorable road on the way to Kedarnath. From this pilgrimage season, Pawan Hans is also introducing a new helicopter charter service from Dehradun heliport and Jolly ground Airport to the shrine via Phata/Gauchar Kedarnath, Badrinath and Char Dham.
The return fare for the Phata Kedarnath helicopter service — from Phata to Kedarnath and back to Phata — is Rs 4,798 per person, while the one-way fare from each side is Rs 2,399. Last year, one-way tickets were priced much higher at Rs 3,350. However, passengers heavier than 90 kilograms would be charged extra and those weighing more than 120 kg will have to pay for a double ticket. For infants younger than 2 years, only 10 per cent of the ticket cost will be charged. Each passenger is allowed to carry only 2 kg of luggage on the service. According to the company, preference will be given to the handicapped and those above 80 years of age.
Pawan Hans currently offers 12 helicopter flights from Phata to Kedarnath on a daily basis. Nine of these 12 flights return to Phata on the same day, while three return to Phata the next day, according to the Pawan Hans website.
The first flight to Kedarnath departs from Phata at 6:50 am and reaches Kedarnath at 7:00 am. The return flight to Phata departs from Kedarnath at 12:40 pm and reaches Phata at 12:50 pm the same day.
The minimum waiting period for passengers would be 2-3 hours. But, this can be extended depending on the situation on the ground like weather conditions, refuelling time for the helicopter or non-availability of passengers at either end.
The company said that passengers wishing to fly back on the same day are requested to either take a priority slip for the Kedarnath darshan or make it early as the time set aside for darshan by the helicopter service is just one and a half hours. Beside Pawan Hans, a number of private operators like Aero Aircraft, UT Air, Aryan Aviation and Himalayan also offer similar services from various locations in the hilly state.