Two Pilots, Flight-By-Flight Clearance: DGCA’s New Rules Put Char Dham Operators On Edge

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has tightened safety requirements for helicopter operations along Uttarakhand’s Char Dham pilgrimage routes, making a co-pilot mandatory and requiring fresh clearance before every flight segment following a crash near Joshimath that killed six people. The new restrictions have prompted helicopter operators to threaten a suspension of services.

The measures were announced following a high-level meeting between DGCA officials and the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) on Saturday, October 31. UCADA Chief Executive Officer Prateek Jain told PTI that helicopters operating charter services on Char Dham routes would now have to carry a co-pilot.

On Sunday, the DGCA further directed UCADA to ensure that pilots obtain separate permission for every flight leg, replacing the earlier system in which operators could secure clearance for an entire itinerary covering multiple destinations and the return journey.

Fresh Flight Clearances

Under the revised procedure, a helicopter travelling from Sahastradhara in Dehradun to Badrinath would need another clearance before proceeding to Kedarnath, even if both destinations were included in the original approved itinerary.

Jain told PTI that the requirement was intended to strengthen monitoring of helicopter movements and ensure that each flight segment received separate authorisation.

The changes follow the Friday crash of a privately operated helicopter belonging to Transbharat Aviation near Chai village in Chamoli district. The aircraft, an AS350B3 bearing registration VT-HCX, had taken off from Badrinath at 1.14 PM for Sahastradhara in Dehradun with one pilot and five passengers on board, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

All six occupants were killed. The wreckage was located in the forest area near Chai village, and the mortal remains were subsequently recovered. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation dispatched a team to Dehradun to conduct a preliminary regulatory assessment.

Operators Threaten Shutdown

The new requirements have triggered opposition from helicopter operators, who have threatened to suspend Char Dham charter services over the additional operational burden of deploying two pilots on every flight.

The proposed suspension raises the possibility of disruption to helicopter services used by pilgrims travelling to the four Himalayan shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.

Weather Under Investigation

Investigators are examining whether adverse weather conditions contributed to Friday’s crash. Jain added that while a weather monitoring station was operational at Badrinath, there was no comparable facility in the valley near Joshimath.

Three helicopters had taken off from Badrinath within approximately 15 minutes around the time of the accident. One departed six to seven minutes before the crashed aircraft, while another took off around eight minutes afterwards.

The pilots were expected to communicate through radio and share information about changing weather conditions, including rain patches and visibility along the route. Authorities are examining whether any warnings were communicated before the accident.

Pilots and operators of the other two helicopters are also expected to be questioned as part of the investigation.

The revised clearance system and co-pilot requirement come amid increased scrutiny of helicopter safety in Uttarakhand’s mountainous terrain, where rapidly changing weather and difficult flying conditions pose operational challenges.