Helicopters in NE: From VIP privilege to public utility

Helicopter services play a crucial role in providing last-mile connectivity in the Northeastern states.  The high frequency of helicopter movement in poll-bound Assam is a temporary phenomenon driven by demand for flying star campaigners from both ruling and opposition parties to multiple election rallies at distant venues. This does not reflect the everyday reality of the helicopter services available in the region, even though it has remained a dream goal for the general public. Helicopters chartered by different political parties taking off and landing at Khanapara Veterinary College playground in Guwahati and temporary helipads at meeting venues across the state demonstrate the flexibility of helicopter operations and also showcase the effectiveness in overcoming terrain challenges to quickly reach places not just in Assam but across the region. Yet, commercial helicopter services in the region have remained dependent on the helicopter subsidy scheme administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The MHA bears 75% of the total cost of operation after deducting passenger recovery or a flat 20% of the actual operation cost, whichever is more. However, the MHA fixes the annual ceiling of flying hours in the Northeastern states to restrict subsidies, due to which the frequency of helicopter services cannot be increased beyond the ceilings. The MHA released about Rs 1000 crore as a subsidy for helicopter services in the state over the past ten years, which calculates to an average of Rs 100 crore each year for eight states of the region. Increasing the budgetary allocations to MHA under the scheme can facilitate an increase in ceilings of flying hours and increase the frequency of helicopter services in different states of the region under the subsidy scheme. Apart from the ceiling on flying hours, there are other bottlenecks to the expansion of helicopter services in the region, such as unpredictable weather, hilly terrain, lack of helipads and maintenance facilities. Recommendations by the committee constituted by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2011 to review the Civil Aviation Requirement on Regional Scheduled Operations (RSOP) and other air connectivity issues underlined the importance of the expansion of helicopter services across the country. The Committee, in its “Report on Air Connectivity”, observed that helicopter operations are an important tool of providing connectivity and recommended maximum efforts should be undertaken to develop helipads in every district of the country. The Committee noted that nearly all districts already have an all-weather helipad being used by police authorities for either law and order or VIP duties, and the states may be requested to examine if these helipads can be opened up for commercial use while maintaining the strict security protocol. The government informed the Lok Sabha about the launch of the modified UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme to increase regional connectivity to 120 new destinations across the country and to cater to 4 crore passengers over the next 10 years. As the scheme will also support helipads and smaller airports in hilly, aspirational and Northeastern region districts, it has triggered fresh hopes of expansion of helicopter services in the region. Expeditious formulation of the scheme will be crucial to increasing the frequency of helicopter services in the region. During the second round of bidding under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)–UDAN scheme and subsequent rounds, various helipads were identified, and helicopter routes were awarded to operators to provide connectivity to hilly terrains and far-flung areas. A total of 80 RCS helicopter routes have been operationalized, connecting 15 heliports across eight priority states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand, the parliament was told by the government. The Ministry of Civil Aviation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Government of Uttarakhand, launched Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) under a pilot project ‘Sanjeevani’ on 29th October, 2024, at All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh, to provide timely transportation for accident victims and patients from within a radius of 150 km of AIIMS, Rishikesh, in Uttarakhand, ensuring that patients in remote areas receive emergency critical care. The Northeast region, being a disaster-prone zone, also deserves a similar pilot project in the region to make use of helicopter services for providing emergency medical care to people in far-flung areas. Increasing everyday helicopter services to cover more areas of the region can optimise the development of the required infrastructure for such services. States in the region can lobby for such a pilot project through the Ministry of Development of the Northeastern Region. It is crucial for the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to maintain strict safety oversight of helicopter operations to ensure safer flights. The availability of skilled pilots to navigate the challenging geography remains a key concern in the expansion of helicopter services in the region and is pivotal to its sustainability. Star campaigners flying in Assam’s sky can play a crucial role in expanding helicopter services in the Northeast.