Dedicated chopper corridors from March 15

New Delhi, March 11 : Dedicated helicopter corridors at Delhi and Mumbai airports will become operational from March 15 to lessen aerial congestion, an official of the state-run Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd (PHHL) said Thursday.

"Our choppers will begin flying in dedicated chopper corridors at Delhi and Mumbai from March 15 onwards. Other government-owned and civil choppers will also start using the new corridors from Monday onwards," R.K. Tyagi, chairman and managing director of PHHL, told IANS.

This was also confirmed by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel. He informed the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Civil Aviation that the standard operation procedure for chopper operations would be notified by March 15.

"Chopper operations get delayed due to air traffic congestion at these airports. Dedicated chopper routes will help in overcoming these problems," Tyagi said, adding that Delhi and Mumbai have the highest density of chopper operations.

The aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has conducted flying trials with the help of chopper operators. "The routes have been further modified wherever required and scrutinized and approved by us," said a DGCA official.

The civil chopper industry has for long been demanding separation of helicopter and aircraft traffic to lessen aerial traffic congestion.

Last week during the Hyderabad Air show, DGCA chief S.N.A. Zaidi had said operations on dedicated chopper corridors would begin once the notification is issued in this regard.