Growth of Civil Helicopter Fleet In India >>

Helicopters in both civil & military have been in service of the nation for over 50 years. It was 54 years ago that Capt Rustom Captain CHPL 1 flew the first civil helicopter in the country. While the first flight of civil registered helicopter flew, as early as in 1953 in India, the growth of the Industry has been modest


First Commercial Helicopter Flight  Capt. R. Captain in Hiller UH 12B in Nov’1953

From 1953 to 1986, the commercial use of helicopters in India was limited to small Aviation companies who were involved in communication and crop spraying roles. In the early years of Oil & Natural Gas Corporations (ONGC’s) oil and Gas exploration work it was supported by the IAF and foreign-charted helicopters. The formation of Helicopter Corporation of India by the Govt in 1986 (later named Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited) with a fleet of 42 helicopters provided the first boost to the Industry in the country. Since then, the growth of civil registered helicopters has been very modest