Stand-off over co-pilot rule: Helicopter operators suspend Char Dham services, talks on Nov 4

Dehradun: As helicopter operators suspended Char Dham charter service over the co-pilot rule, the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) on Monday called another meeting on November 4 to end the stand-off after the first round of talks remained inconclusive, even as several pilgrims remained stranded, an official said.

Earlier in the day, a meeting was held between the representatives of operators, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and UCADA over the suspension.

A senior UCADA official told PTI on condition of anonymity that during the meeting, the government proposed to mandatorily implement the co-pilot rule from next year as part of the annual registration process for charter operators plying on Char Dham routes.


However, the operators didn't agree to the suggestion, forcing the government to call for another meeting, the official added.

"The co-pilot rule has been added as a safety measure for pilgrims. From next year, this will be added to the regulations during the registration process for chopper operators. So, it will become mandatory. Only those operators who agree to this rule will get their registration done accordingly. At present, charter operators have not agreed to this rule," the UCADA official said.

The operators suspended the Char Dham charter services on Monday in protest against the UCADA's rule making two pilots mandatory on every flight.

They argued that mandating the twin-pilot rule will make it "financially unviable for all operators", urging the government to withdraw the order.

"The mandatory deployment of two pilots on every charter sortie will substantially increase operating costs, crew requirements, accommodation and logistical expenses, and overall operational commitments. Given the existing commercial structure, prevailing charter rates and limited operational margins, these additional costs cannot be reasonably absorbed by the operators. Nor is it commercially feasible to pass on the entire additional burden to customers," the operators said on Sunday in their letter to the DGCA.

The government introduced the rule on Saturday after a chopper crash near Joshimath in Chamoli district on Oct 30 left six people dead.

With the operators suspending operations, several pilgrims were stranded at Char Dham shrines.

Prateek Jain, CEO of the UCADA, said operators have been instructed to ensure that pilgrims stuck at the shrines are brought back to Dehradun by road.

In case of cancellations for the remaining days of the yatra ahead of the winter season, operators have been instructed to issue full refunds, he added.

"To make the Char Dham Yatra safer, it has been decided to implement two-pilot operations for charters, with the aim that monitoring of airspace will be better. But operators have said no to this proposal for now as additional controls have to be added along with other changes in the choppers."

The backlash to the order comes as the Gangotri shrine is scheduled to close for winter on November 10, Kedarnath and Yamunotri on November 11, and the Badrinath shrine on November 16.