Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu virtually inaugurated the daily helicopter services between Mandi-Chandigarh and Kullu-Mandi-Chandigarh on Monday from his official residence, Oak Over.
The Mandi-Chandigarh helicopter service will be operated under the Government of India's Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS-UDAN), while the Kullu-Mandi-Chandigarh sector will be operated by Heritage Aviation Pvt. Ltd. on a Non-RCS (market-based) model.
The helicopter service from Kullu will depart at 9.00 am and reach Mandi at 9.10 am. It will then leave Mandi at 9.15 am and arrive in Chandigarh at 9.45 am. The return flight will depart Chandigarh at 10.00 am, reach Mandi at 10.30 am, leave Mandi at 10.35 am, and arrive in Kullu at 10.45 am.
The services will operate from the newly developed Kangnidhar (Mandi) Heliport. Under the RCS-UDAN scheme, the indicative airfare for the Mandi-Chandigarh sector has been fixed at Rs 3,500, while the indicative fare for the Kullu-Mandi-Chandigarh sector is Rs 8,500. The Kangnidhar (Mandi) Heliport, developed with modern passenger amenities and the required operational infrastructure, will serve as an important aviation hub for the central region of the state.
Congratulating the people of Mandi and Kullu districts on the commencement of the helicopter services, the Chief Minister said the state government has been making sustained efforts to strengthen air connectivity in the remote and hilly areas of Himachal Pradesh. He said that with the launch of these services, another significant milestone has been achieved in improving air connectivity. He added that the services are expected to substantially reduce travel time, promote tourism, strengthen emergency response capabilities, and provide greater convenience to both residents and visitors.
Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the state government remains committed to further strengthening aviation infrastructure through the development of heliports, enhancement of regional air connectivity, and effective implementation of the RCS-UDAN scheme in collaboration with the Government of India and other stakeholders.
Emphasising the state government's focus on promoting tourism, the Chief Minister said heliports are being constructed at every district headquarters as well as at other prominent tourist destinations. He said construction work on four heliports at Jaskot in Hamirpur district, Rakkar and Palampur in Kangra district, and Chamba is in the final stages of completion. These heliports will encourage high-end tourists to visit Himachal more frequently, thereby generating income and employment opportunities for local people.
He further said the state government has allocated funds for the construction of a heliport in Una and is also considering the construction of heliports at Nahan and Solan. A heliport is also being constructed at Rangrik in Lahaul and Spiti district in collaboration with the Army authorities.
Town and Country Planning Minister Rajesh Dharmani, Mayor Surinder Chauhan, and Director of Tourism Vivek Bhatia were present in Shimla. Former Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sohan Lal, Vice Chairman of the HP State Water Management Board Shashi Sharma, Congress leader Pawan Thakur, District Congress Committee Mandi President Champa Thakur, Deputy Commissioner Apoorv Devgan, and Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar joined the event virtually from Mandi.
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