No Room for Growth
Rotorcraft In India, Helo Operations Seem Grounded Aviation Week & Space Technology Oct 11 , 2010 , p. 62 Neelam Mathews New Delhi Infrastructure bottlenecks slow helicopter fleet expansion in India With the world’s second largest population and the seventh biggest country by land mass, India would seem prime territory for helicopters. But it has an abysmal 254 registered rotorcraft in a fleet spread among 98 operators. The Rotor Wing Society of India (RWSI) says that number could double in five years and take off from there if regulatory constraints holding back airport and landing pad improvements can be overcome. On the 1,000-member RWSI’s “must have” list, landings at the country’s two largest airports, in New Delhi and Mumbai, ranks at the top. Members want separate facilities for helicopters at the airports, both privately owned, and they are also seeking a “level playing field” for rotorcraft operations in terms of routes, and use of helipads irrespective of fixe...