Helicopters - Scanty Numbers

Helicopters in India account for less than one per cent of the number available globally. Worldwide, while 29 per cent of helicopters are employed for law enforcement and HEMS, these roles are practically non-existent in India. A majority of helicopters here are used in the energy sector and the remaining employed for communications, corporate use, heli/religious tourism, elections and surveys.

From the time the first civil helicopter took to the skies in India in November 1953 up to1986, commercial employment of helicopters in India was limited to small aviation companies such as Cambata Aviation and Bharat Air. These were basically involved in communications and crop spraying. The growth of the civil helicopter fleet in the early years was modest. The first real impetus to the civil helicopter industry was provided in 1986 by the formation of the Helicopter Corporation of India, which later came to be known as Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd (PHHL).

It was only after 2004 that the industry recorded a double digit growth. Today, there are approximately 278 civil registered helicopters in the country, with about 70 commercial operators and 36 maintenance organisations. However, this number is woefully inadequate when compared to the number of civil helicopters seen worldwide. As per the data available, helicopters in India account for less than one per cent of the global civil helicopters (34,000).

Commercial Prospects

Global statistics indicate that 40 per cent of the civil helicopter fleet is used for corporate aviation, 29 per cent for emergency medical services and law enforcement, 16 per cent for offshore operations, and the remaining for operations in heli-tourism, adventure sports and aerial surveys. A point worth noting is that while 29 per cent of helicopters worldwide are employed for law enforcement and emergency medical services (EMS), these roles are practically non-existent in India. Currently, a majority of the civil helicopters here are used in the energy sector, both onshore and offshore, with the remaining being employed for communications, corporate use, heli/religious tourism, elections and surveys.

Offshore Operations

Driven by the burgeoning demand for energy and the ever-increasing price of crude oil, there has been hectic increase in offshore oil exploration in recent times. Stakeholders are today prepared to commit large investments in offshore exploration and production pushing into deep sea areas so far untouched. Helicopters are an integral part of and critical to such operations as they are the umbilical cords to offshore platforms. In all, helicopters employed in offshore operatio ns worldwide account for a million flying hours a year. In India, currently there are about 40 helicopters employed in the offshore sector both on the Western and Eastern coasts. These account for over 75 per cent of the total flying hours logged by the civil helicopter fleet in the country. As oil exploration moves further offshore, the demand for modern helicopters with better range and advanced safety features is bound to witness a marked increase.

Heli-tourism

India’s diverse culture and geographic spread coupled with a rich flora, fauna and wildlife, make it one of the top adventure tourism destinations in the world. The use of helicopters is convenient and saves time for people travelling to remote and mountainous destinations. This has led to an increase in demand for civil helicopters. Helicopter operators such as Deccan Aviation, Global Vectra and PHHL are already providing heli-tourism packages in the North, South and Eastern parts of the country. Although the tourism sector offers further scope for growth of helicopters, their numbers have not increased proportionately.

Similarly, India is a destination of great interest to religious tourists. Journey to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Katra-Vaishno Devi and Amarnath which was difficult and time-consuming earlier has now been made easier through heli-pilgrimage services. On account of the emerging popularity of religious tourism, the Ministries of Civil Aviation and Tourism held a national seminar on heli-tourism in October 2008 to deliberate on steps to boost heli-tourism in India. The main emphasis was on encouraging heli-tourism and providing necessary support to all operators by clearing the bottlenecks, identifying profitable circuits and creating suitable infrastructure in the areas identified.