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NEW DELHI: Those who do the rounds of Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan in New Delhi, be it journalists or stakeholders from the aviation industry, would have noticed a conspicuous change in recent times. The Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia is now flanked by two senior Indian Administrative Service officers, Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam and Joint Secretary Asangba Chuba Ao, who hail from Northeast India. The appointment of these two officers in the Ministry of Civil Aviation in the recent past is indicative of the government and Scindia’s ambition to create a robust policy and infrastructure framework for civil helicopter operations in the country.The Northeast of India and the Himalayan frontier states are the ideal testbeds for exploring last mile-connectivity initiatives via helicopters, as the mountainous terrains limit the operations of airlines flying narrow-body or small aircraft in many areas. Insiders in the Ministry of Civil Aviation outline that Joint Secretary Asangba Chuba Ao, who is responsible for creating policy framework related to small aircraft and helicopters in the country, is intensely engaged on development of air connectivity initiatives in the Northeast.
THE LAST-MILE TRANSPORT
One of the first major policy decisions from the ministry came in October 2021, wherein Jyotiraditya Scindia at a helicopter summit organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry in Uttarakhand, announced that under a new policy, charges for parking and landing, route navigation facilities and terminal navigation, among others for helicopters will be done away with. This was followed by extending the viability gap funding facility under UDAN 5.1 to helicopter transport services, which until recently was available to airlines.
“I see the intent of the Ministry of Civil Aviation under the Honourable Minister to promote helicopters and small aircraft. I think there is a very clear realization that this fixed wing revolution that we have had, this needs to be complemented with regional connectivity,” said Sunny Guglani, Head of Helicopters, Airbus India and South Asia, to ET Infra.
In the very first months of becoming aviation minister in July of 2021, it was visibly clear that unlike his predecessors, Scindia made air connectivity via helicopters amongst his top priorities.
While inaugurating an IndiGo flight service between Shillong and Dibrugarh in October 2021 along with Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, Scindia highlighted that intra-state as well as inter-state connectivity in the Northeast is a priority and government is committed to development of helicopter services for last-mile connectivity and for heli tourism in Meghalaya and rest of Northeast states.
The ministry has set up a Helicopter Accelerator Cell that has been tasked with addressing the issues associated with the sector, while the Directorate General of Civil Aviation is in the process of creating a new special cell for helicopters and small aircraft. On the ground, an ecosystem is taking roots.
Government-approved aviation body, Federation of Aviation Industry in India, (FAII) has received 12-15 acres of land from Nagaland government for building an aviation university, and has also signed Memorandum of Understanding for aviation related services with Nagaland and Meghalaya government, according to Air Commodore (retd) Anil Kumar Sinha, Co-Chairman (Rotary Wing) at FAII.
On the infrastructure side, state-owned operator of helicopters, Pawan Hans has been roped in for providing consultancy and development of more than 70 heliports across the length and breadth of the country, of which 20 heliports have been commissioned so far.
“We already have seen some improvement in the number of helicopters in the country from 239 to 256 but it is still miniscule. We need to have a complete transformation in terms of numbers which we need to look at. When we reach 2047, we should have the complete country covered by a large number of helicopters, not only providing connectivity but other areas of the sector where the helicopters play an important role,” said Sanjeev Razdan, Chairman and Managing Director, Pawan Hans, at a roundtable discussion at ‘Wings India 2024’ held in January.
THE GOLDEN HOUR
The transformation that Razdan spoke about however cannot solely depend on utilisation of helicopter services for last-mile connectivity and heli tourism. The government is cognisant of the same and has now bet big on Helicopter Emergency Medical Services or HEMS, which is undertaken by many countries in the world.
Under Project Sanjeevani, the government is aiming to create demand for helicopter emergency medical services and in 2024 India saw the operationalisation of first HEMS operation wherein medical services via helicopter has been initiated for AIIMS Rishikesh. These are very essential for providing medical services in cases of emergencies wherein the patient’s medical needs can be addressed within the first one hour of trauma or accident, also referred to as the ‘Golden Hour’.
According to Guglani, the project will provide the required template to the other state governments on how to implement HEMS. After Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh in March saw the launch of an integrated air ambulance service, comprising a heli-ambulance and a fixed-wing air ambulance based out of Bhopal. Other states like Odisha are also in the process of initiating such services.
Razdan highlighted that within the country, the covid pandemic played a role in bringing about the awareness about helicopter emergency medical services.
Pawan Hans has tied up with ICATT (International Critical Care Air Transfer Team), an Air Ambulance Services organistion and has deployed its Bell 407 Helicopter in Bhopal, equipped with essential medical facilities.
MADE IN INDIA
Perhaps it is therefore no coincidence that Airbus Helicopters and Tata Group have come together to manufacture the single-engine H125 helicopter in India, deliveries of which to customers will begin in 2026. The H125 is one of the most successful helicopters in the world and Airbus claims it to be the only helicopter to have landed on Mount Everest, showcasing its versatility, a key requirement for India’s diverse geographical landscape.
Razdan outlined that as demand for tourism, transport and emergency medical services in the country increases, there is potential for the addition of around 500 civil helicopters, and this very potential market size makes Airbus’ H125 one of the ideal candidates.
According to Airbus, H125 will be able to undertake multi-mission operations which will include passenger and goods transport as well as be used for segments such as emergency medical services.
“It will be a good thing, if they (Airbus, Tata) can make it work. The whole environment has been changed by this government, they are allowing things to come. If it works, it will be a benchmark for other things,” said Vijay Pathiyan, Consultant and former General Manager for Safety at Pawan Hans to ET Infra on the sidelines of Aerospace and Defence MRO South Asia Summit 2024, held in New Delhi recently.
However, as the Ministry of Civil Aviation aims to grow helicopter operations in the country with an ambition of one helipad for each district, there are also inherent challenges that the ministry, industry and Jyotiraditya Scindia will have to navigate.
Unlike developed nations, India still does not have the required crew and skilled manpower in adequate numbers to undertake helicopter-enabled emergency medical services.
Traditionally, leasing and financing of helicopters in India compared to commercial aircraft, have also faced challenges as unlike regular scheduled commercial flight operations, which generate steady cash flow for airlines, helicopter services in India so far been limited to certain geographical regions and even for the rest of the country, requirement of helicopters are ad-hoc in nature, impacting steady cash flows for operators.
From the beginning of his tenure as civil aviation minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia has set the ball rolling for creating an ecosystem for civil helicopter services in the country. Will the industry be able to capitalise on the new initiatives undertaken and tide over the challenges, that aspect will be more visible in the coming few years.
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