Helicopter operators suspended Char Dham charter services starting November 2 after the DGCA mandated a hill-qualified co-pilot on all flights.
Operators stated that hiring additional hill-trained co-pilots at short notice creates unsustainable financial and operational burdens.
The abrupt suspension leaves incoming pilgrims facing potential flight cancellations and refund complications near the end of the Yatra season.
Helicopter operators have threatened to suspend Char Dham charter services from Monday in protest against the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority’s (UCADA) co-pilot rule, a move likely to disrupt the final leg of the pilgrimage before the shrines close for winter.
In a letter written to the UCADA on Sunday, the operators said they would stop the services on Monday unless the order is withdrawn.
On Saturday, the UCADA announced that a co-pilot will be mandatory for all choppers flying on the Char Dham yatra route.
The decision was made following a chopper crash near Joshimath in Chamoli district on Oct 30, in which six people died.
The operators expressed their inability to accept the mandatory twin-pilot requirement "in its present form” and raised serious concerns and reservations regarding the mandatory requirement for charter services.
They said mandating twin-pilot operations "without adequate consultation with the operators and assessment of its commercial and operational implications" will make the continuation of operations "financially unviable for all operators."
"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 letter written to DGCA said.
The helicopter operators added that any additional safety-related measures "must be practical, proportionate, commercially sustainable and developed in consultation with the operating stakeholders."
"We wish to formally convey that all participating operators are proposing to suspend their Char Dham charter operations with effect from 02 November 2026, until the matter is reviewed and a mutually workable solution is arrived at by the concerned authorities in consultation with the operators," the letter stated.
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.
