First aviation service between Dehradun and Pantnagar from Oct15

For the first time, a new air service would be introduced between the industrial town of Pantnagar and the capital of Uttarakhand from October 15.

Deccan Aviation would fly a small plane initially to test air traffic on this route. “This is for the first time that the air service is being introduced between two important cities which would also connect Garhwal and Kumaon regions,” said principal secretary, civil aviation, P C Sharma.

For this purpose, Deccan Aviation has already taken clearance from Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA), Sharma said.

Meanwhile, the state civil aviation department has asked three aviation companies to stop their helicopter services to the hilly Kedarnath shrine in the Garhwal region. “These companies have already been served notices to stop their chopper services to Kedarnath shrine because they were violating civil aviation norms,” said Sharma.

These companies, which have been asked to stop private chopper air services include Trans Bharat, Sumit Aviation and Aryan Aviation, he said. Sharma also claimed that these companies were operating more flights than the prescribed norms of the DGCA.

However, three other companies — Prabhatam, Pawan Hans and Himalayan Aviation would continue to fly their choppers to Kedarnath shrine as usual. “Now we will have three companies which would regularly fly choppers to Kedarnath shrine,” Sharma said.

Sharma also said there were no regular air services to other Himalayan shrines like Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.

“We have no plans as yet to make arrangements for regular chopper services to other three shrines,” he added.