Pilgrim’s Peril

The Kedarnath helicopter crash, which left seven dead including a toddler and the pilot, exposes once more the parlous state of India’s aviation safety regime. The Aryan Aviation helicopter ferrying pilgrims from the Kedarnath temple to Guptkashi in Uttarakhand crashed into a forested slope near Gaurikund barely ten minutes after take-off. The weather had turned poor. The pilot tried to steer the aircraft out of the valley. He failed. All on board were burned alive.

It was the fifth aviation incident in the Kedarnath sector since the pilgrimage season began in early May. Thirteen people have died thus far. In one case last week, another chopper developed a technical snag shortly after take-off and was forced to make an emergency landing on a busy highway. Its tail rotor sheared off and struck a parked car. A near-miss was only avoided by chance. How long can one keep blaming the weather?

Following the latest crash, Uttarakhand’s Chief Minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, ordered the formulation of a stricter standard operating procedure (SOP) for helicopter operations. These include pre-flight technical checks and mandatory weather briefings. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s top aviation regulator, has reduced helicopter sorties to the Char Dham sites and claims to be conducting enhanced surveillance. A technical committee has been tasked with drafting reforms. Yet these gestures, however well-meaning, arrive only after disaster has struck.

India’s aviation sector has long struggled to match its soaring growth with competent oversight. While the civil aviation ministry routinely celebrates record domestic passenger traffic, the foundations of safety in form of enforcement, training and accountability remain brittle.

That the Kedarnath crash comes so soon after the horrific Air India Flight 171 tragedy that resulted in the loss of 265 lives is testament to the Indian aviation sector’s brittle foundations of safety.

The crash has shaken public confidence in both private and regulatory competence. Together, these twin disasters make clear that India’s skies remain far from safe for its passengers. The Kedarnath crash also highlights the growing commercialisation of spiritual tourism, often at the expense of basic safety. Helicopter trips to shrines like Kedarnath are marketed as time-saving conveniences - an appealing offer in an era of busy schedules and long waiting lists. Operators charge Rs 3,000 or more for a one-way journey that lasts under 15 minutes. But the logistical realities are rarely advertised. Pilots face unpredictable weather, high-altitude flying and inadequate infrastructure.

The country needs stricter airworthiness checks, mandatory incident disclosures and genuinely independent audits. Operators that cannot meet these standards should not be in the skies.

The Kedarnath crash is a warning that without urgent reform, more lives will be lost to the same mix of poor weather, technical failure and administrative negligence. India’s pilgrims deserve better.