Representational Image— DC File

DEHRADUN: Direct helicopter services from Dehradun airport to Badrinath and Kedarnath are unlikely to resume this pilgrimage season because of a technical fault in the Mi-17 helicopter and delays in procuring a critical spare part from abroad, according to the operator and aviation officials.

The services, operated by Rudraksh Aviation from the Jolly Grant helipad, were scheduled to resume on September 15 after the monsoon break. Officials of the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) said they were now likely to restart only during the 2027 pilgrimage season.

A UCADA official, who did not wish to be named, said the company had cancelled flights and bookings after the helicopter developed a technical fault. Delays in importing an essential spare part had prevented the resumption of services.

Helicopter services from helipads near Kedarnath were continuing, the official said, distinguishing them from the direct flights from Dehradun to the two shrines.

Rudraksh Aviation manager P.K. Chabra said the technical snag had forced the suspension of Mi-17 flights scheduled to restart on September 15. He hoped the helicopter would resume services from Jolly Grant to both shrines in the next Yatra season after the fault was rectified.

The company has operated direct helicopter services from Jolly Grant to Badrinath and Kedarnath for the past three years.

This season, flights began on April 30. The helicopter, carrying 18 pilgrims, made two flights daily between April 30 and June 13. Nearly 1,450 pilgrims used the service before the government and UCADA suspended it for the monsoon after June 13.

The suspension continued till September 14. UCADA permitted the resumption of services on that date, with flights scheduled to restart the following day. However, the technical fault halted the company’s preparations.

The company confirmed that the delay in procuring the spare part from abroad had forced it to cancel its flight schedules from September 15.


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