A seven-seater Pawan Hans helicopter takes off from a helipad behind VUDA park on the Beach Road in Visakhapatnam. File.
| Photo Credit: C.V. SUBRAHMANYAM
After multiple attempts to privatise the government’s helicopter company failed, Pawan Hans Limited (PHL) has submitted a proposal to the Centre for acquiring 23 new helicopters to replace its ageing fleet comprising 42 helicopters.
The proposal from Pawan Hans also includes an undisclosed amount of capital needed for replenishing its fleet, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation Vumlunmang Vualnam told The Hindu. PHL is a joint venture of Government of India (GoI) and ONGC providing helicopter services. GoI holds 51% of shares in the company and ONGC holds the remaining 49%.
The senior official did not disclose the estimate provided by Pawan Hans, but said that the Central public sector undertaking has been asked to review it.
PHL will also explore the financing mechanism needed to raise the funds required for the exercise, such as through bank loans, or budgetary support from the government or any other option, the official said.
Last week, Pawan Hans announced a 10-year contract worth over ₹2,000 crore to provide four helicopters to ONGC for transporting its personnel to off-shore duty locations.
Under the contract, Pawan Hans will deploy four HAL-manufactured Dhruva NG helicopters for ONGC off-shore operations. Dhruva NG is the civil version of HAL’s Advance Light Helicopter Mk- III used by the defence forces. The Pawan Hans agreement is the first time that the indigenously designed and developed civil helicopter in India will take to the skies.
Expressing support for revival of Pawan Hans, Mr. Vualnam said: “We are at a stage where helicopter usage needs to expand, including heli-emergency medical services (HEMS), disaster relief, and other public service roles.”
The Pawan Hans fleet includes 17 Dauphin Ns that are 37-years-old, and two Bell 206 that are 29-years-old.
On July 3, 2023, the Centre called off the strategic disinvestment of Pawan Hans after the successful bidding consortium Star9 Mobility Pvt Ltd was disqualified in view of a pending case against one of its consortium members — Almas Global Opportunity Fund SPC — before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for the sale of GoI’s entire shareholding (51% of shareholding) of Pawan Hans Limited (PHL) and transfer of management control.
This was the fourth attempt to sell the helicopter company since the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the strategic disinvestment of the entire Government of India stake in it in October 2016. ONGC had also earlier decided to offer its entire shareholding to the successful bidder identified in the GoI strategic disinvestment transaction, on the same price and terms as GoI.
Published – December 26, 2024 10:56 pm IST