Delhi commercial heliports to be ready in 10 days

A mega heliport at Rohini in north Delhi and a helipad for the Commonwealth Games (CWG) being built by state-run Pawan Hans Helicopter Limited (PHHL) will be operational by mid-September. After the games, the heliport will be used for commercial chopper travel within the region, promoting travel and tourism.

"The CWG helipad at the Games village is almost complete and only a few finishing touches are being given to it, while the heliport at Rohini will be completed by mid-September," PHHL Chairman and Managing Director R.K Tyagi said.

In 2009, the Delhi government and the civil aviation ministry had decided on building the heliport and the helipad.

"Both the facilities will be ready by mid-September and will serve the mega event. Choppers will be parked at Rohini and then fly people in and out of the the CWG village to other places," Tyagi said.

PHHL has paid Rs.19.5 crore to acquire the 25-acre plot in Rohini. It is spending Rs.45 crore for building the chopper facility.

According to the company, the Rohini heliport would cover helicopter operations, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and a training academy for pilots and technical staff.

"The Rohini heliport will be a state-of-the-art feeder hub centre. It will have helicopter maintenance facilities, parking facilities for other helicopter operators. A business centre will also come up," Tyagi said about the added amenities at the port.

The helipad at the Games village would be exclusively used to transport athletes, VIPs and officials to 15 sporting venues, avoiding traffic jams in the city.

"The helipad would be used as a primary hub centre from where helicopters would operate during the day. In the evening, they would be back at the feeder hub centre at Rohini," Tyagi added.

According to PHHL, the choppers would be using a separate flight corridor to ensure that the air traffic at the IGI airport is not disrupted.

Currently, the company plans to deploy two medium-size choppers with a capacity to carry 10 people each.

After the Games, PHHL expects the heliport to improve Delhi's connectivity with the nearby cities and towns.

"The heliport will provide better connectivity, easy and convenience for chopper travel within this region. It will also promote travel and tourism and generate business opportunities," Tyagi further added.

Heliports have become a part of many cities in the world, providing easy mobility. Currently, Safdarjung airport is being used by VVIPs for their chopper flights. But others such as corporate heads, who want to take a chopper flight, have had to wait for long at the IGI airport as priority is given to passenger aircraft.

Green helipads for Delhi CWG

The face of air traffic in the National Capital Region could change drastically in the coming months with a number of projects to be completed in time for the Commonwealth Games.

Among the proposals that are being fast-tracked include 'Green helipads' — the country's first, to be built at the Commonwealth Games village site, and finances for which have already been cleared. Two more helipads at AIIMS and a heliport in Rohini.

Besides, state-run helicopter firm Pawan Hans is in talks with governments of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for land to build 10-12 helipads.

“Our team of experts visited AIIMS recently to see if the trauma centre building could sustain the load. We have cleared the proposal and suggested some small changes like doing away with the boundary wall on the roof. If fast-tracked, the helipad could be operational within six months,” Pawan Hans chief R.K. Tyagi told HT.

This helipad is going to witness the maximum activity during the Games when VIPs, Games officials would travel to the venue. Delhi Police, which is likely to hire helicopters from the Indian Air Force for surveillance purposes, would also have access to the helipad.

Officials did not rule out the possibility of ferry services being operated, if the government gave its approval, for those who would be willing to pay. Officials expressed hope that they would get land to build helipads in each of the nine districts.

The heliport coming-up at Rohini would including helipads, parking bays, night landing facilities, maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities as well as a training academy.

Pawan Hans, which operates a fleet of 35 helicopters and another eight belonging to other agencies, has ordered another 12 helicopters and has plans to expand its fleet by 100 choppers in next few years, officials said.