For many private helicopter service providers that were betting big on starting what would arguably have been the first-of-its-kind charter service connecting two Indian cities — Pune and Mumbai — on a commercial basis, there is bad news in the air. Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd (PHHL), the major public sector entity in this segment, has staked claim to this business opportunity in no uncertain terms, by bringing to the table something that none of the others can — heliports in both the cities, outside the main airports.

While the 225-acre Gliding Centre in Pune, owned and operated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will become the main hub of the operations, it already has in place at the Juhu aerodrome a heliport presently used for ferrying personnel to the ONGC offshore rigs at Bombay High, under the control of the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The Pune property, as of now, has been ‘allotted’ for use to Pawan Hans and there is no change in status of its ownership.

The Civil Aviation Ministry has already given an in-principle nod to the venture though issues pertaining to the business side of the project — such as whether it will be only a charter where the chopper will have to be booked in toto, or will take on the hue of a taxi service — are yet to be finalised.

“Pawan Hans will be starting the charter service between Pune and Mumbai shortly. The process for the same is on and an announcement will be made soon. The helicopter service provider will also be using the space in Pune as a maintenance and repair operations (MRO) hub for helicopters as there is enough space. Besides, the current Pune operations of the Gliding Centre will continue. There are also plans to commence aero-sports activities from Pune,” said a senior officer in the Civil Aviation Ministry. R K Tyagi, chairman and managing director, PHHL, was not available for comment

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