The Himachal Pradesh high court has directed the Union civil aviation ministry to examine the feasibility of operating larger twin-engine helicopters on the Chandigarh-Sanjauli (Shimla) route under the 'Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik' (UDAN) scheme. The court observed that the existing thrice-weekly single-engine helicopter service with 4-6 seats is apparently inadequate and lacks sufficient luggage capacity.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin Chander Negi noted that the current single-engine helicopter service by Pawan Hans Ltd, which operates only on Monday, Friday and Saturday, "apparently does not serve the purpose." The court made these observations while hearing a matter concerning air connectivity to Shimla after reviewing the minutes of a meeting held by the Union civil aviation ministry on May 12.
Court's Directions and Government Response
The bench also asked the state government to file an affidavit regarding the feasibility of operating twin-engine helicopters from Sanjauli or other locations closer to Shimla, apart from Jubbarhatti airport, which is approximately 35 kilometers from the city.
The ministry, through its affidavit, informed the court that only six serviceable twin-engine helicopters with a carrying capacity of 20-25 passengers are currently available in the country. Of these, five are with Sky One Airways and one belongs to Pawan Hans Ltd, which is presently under maintenance. The affidavit further stated that among Sky One Airways' helicopters, two are deployed in Arunachal Pradesh, one in Sikkim, one in Uttarakhand and another was under maintenance.
Commercial Viability and Airport Constraints
The ministry also pointed out that the Shimla-Chandigarh sector is considered commercially viable and that Pawan Hans already operates multiple frequencies on the route, providing an existing mode of connectivity to Shimla.
Regarding the Jubbarhatti airport on the outskirts of Shimla, the ministry clarified that Shimla airport functions as a visual flight rules (VFR) aerodrome due to geographical constraints and there is no scope for runway expansion. It added that presently only two ATR-42 aircraft and one Hindustan-228 (Dornier-228) are being operated as per the schedule of commercial air transport operators. Out of these two ATR-42 aircraft, one is deployed on routes serving Pithorgarh (Uttarakhand), and the second is deployed on the Delhi-Shimla sector by Alliance Air with effect from May 11 with 20% viability gap funding (VGF) support provided by the state government, whereas the Hindustan-228 aircraft is deployed in the North East by Alliance Air.
Court's Satisfaction and Next Hearing
Expressing satisfaction over the restoration of flights to Shimla airport, the court directed the central government to ensure that such disruptions do not recur in future and also inform the court at the next hearing about the issuance of the notification of the modified UDAN scheme. The matter has been listed for further hearing on June 18.
