The last two slots for companies providing helicopter services on the Kedarnath route were awarded to Heritage and Kestrel Aviation. Both the companies have started providing their services from Monday, though according to an official from Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA), the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is yet to conduct an inspection of their helipads and choppers.
Surendra Singh Panwar, appointed nodal officer by Rudraprayag district administration said, “Two more aviation companies started providing helicopter services from Monday afternoon. DGCA is yet to conduct their inspection which is likely to be conducted on Wednesday. All nine companies have stated full online booking till May 31 as of now.”
When asked about Pinnacle and Krystal aviation that were providing services for the time till the new tender procedure he said, “Pinnacle has stopped its services after the tender procedure was finalised. Krystal will continue to provide service for the time being because there are several such passengers who couldn’t reach on time because of traffic or other issues, which have already booked tickets online of Krystal aviation.”
According to the sources in UCADA, the re-tenders were opened on Friday with four companies having filed the same. It is also important to mention here that Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam (GMVN) has started online ticket booking site on heliservices.uk.gov.in from May 27.
