Himachal Chief Minister Launches New Helicopter Services Connecting Kullu Mandi And Chandigarh

Shimla:  In a major push to elevate regional air connectivity, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu virtually inaugurated daily helicopter services linking Mandi, Kullu, and Chandigarh. The new aerial transit options, launched from the Chief Minister's official residence 'Oak Over', aim to shrink travel times, strengthen emergency medical response capabilities, and attract high-end tourism to the state's central valleys.  The freshly initiated routes will operate directly from the newly developed, modern Kangnidhar Heliport in Mandi. To cater to different passenger brackets, the state government has structured the operations through a dual-model framework. The direct Mandi-Chandigarh flight sector is subsidized under the Central Government’s Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS-UDAN), capping the indicative airfare at a budget-friendly ₹3,500. Conversely, the extended Kullu-Mandi-Chandigarh leg is managed by Heritage Aviation Private Limited via a market-driven, non-RCS model, with fares set at ₹8,500.  According to the official flight schedule, the daily morning sortie departs from Kullu at 9:00 AM, touching down in Mandi at 9:10 AM. Following a brief five-minute halt, it leaves Mandi at 9:15 AM to arrive at Chandigarh by 9:45 AM. The return flight follows a mirrored path, taking off from Chandigarh at 10:00 AM and concluding its full circuit in Kullu by 10:45 AM.  Congratulating the residents of the valley districts, Chief Minister Sukhu emphasized that this expansion marks a watershed moment for the hilly terrain, where road transit is frequently hindered by seasonal weather bottlenecks. He further detailed a wider civil aviation blueprint, revealing that four additional heliports in Hamirpur, Chamba, and Kangra districts are nearing their final construction phases. He affirmed the government's long-term commitment to building functional heliports across all district headquarters to permanently integrate Himachal's remote pockets with major mainland transit hubs.