Overview

• Helicopter flights resumed on June 17 after a two-day grounding ordered by DGCA and UCADA following the Bell 407 crash near Kedarnath that killed seven passengers.
• New safety measures mandate real-time meteorological monitoring at all helipads, cap on daily sorties and strict spacing rules limiting six helicopters airborne and four within the Kedarnath valley at any one time.
• Operators’ minimum-assured fee contracts and high royalty charges have created commercial pressures that critics say encourage flights in unsafe weather conditions.
• Key infrastructure gaps persist with the Kedarnath helipad lacking navigation aids, air traffic control facilities and an on-site meteorological station, raising risks in volatile terrain.
• Officials and experts are advocating for large-capacity ropeway systems as a safer, more sustainable alternative to reduce ecological strain and reliance on helicopters.