Overview

• Services resumed effective September 16 after DGCA teams audited helipads, aircraft, operator readiness and support facilities from September 13–16.
• Operators and pilots were briefed on an Operations Circular detailing high‑altitude challenges, mandatory route checks and recurrent training focused on weather, terrain and crew resource management.
• Six companies will run Kedarnath shuttle flights from Guptkashi, Phata and Sitapur, while seven operators or consortiums will handle charter services from Dehradun’s Sahastradhara to all four shrines.
• Airworthiness oversight has been stepped up with stricter maintenance compliance, weight‑and‑balance enforcement, modern nav/comm aids, and real‑time weather updates via a dedicated system.
• Regulatory monitoring will include DGCA teams stationed at critical helipads with surprise checks, following coordination led by Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.