BENGALURU: Ministry of civil aviation secretary Pradeep Singh Kharola said that the development of heliports and waterdromes were in the offing to reach remote corners of the country. He added that they could be utilised in cities with traffic bottlenecks in future. Heliports are dedicated landing facilities for helicopters while a waterdrome refers to a waterbody that meets the criteria for landing and take off of sea planes. Speaking to TNSE, Kharola said, “Setting up heliports in hilly and remote areas, and in the North East are in the offing. We are keen on ensuring accessibility to these areas. The concept of using heli-services has somehow not yet caught up in the country and we intend to popularise it,” he said.
Asked about the possibility of using heli-services in cities synonymous with traffic congestions, Kharola said, “The possibility can be explored in future. Right now, our focus is on areas difficult to access.”
The country’s first heliport, Rohini Heliport, was inaugurated in New Delhi in Feburary 2017. With nine parking bays and four hangars, this heliport is a joint venture by the Civil Aviation Ministry and Pawan Hans Limited.
“Waterdromes will be another crucial area of operations for the aviation industry in future,” Kharola said. Under UDAN-3, the civil aviation ministry approved these six waterdromes to begin seaplane operations in January 2019 - Guwahati river front, Nagarjuna Sagar, Sabarmati River Front, Shatrunjay Dam, Statue of Unity, and Umrangso Reservoir.
Kharola also said that bids had been called for more than 600 routes under UDAN-4 in December 2019. “The bidder can choose any route bid for the Viability Gap Funding proposal.” Asked about the response, he said, “Financial bids are yet to be received.”