Guwahati: PSU chopper operator Pawan Hans is keen to start services in the near future to South East Asia and Bhutan from here.
The company is also looking to expand its services in the north-east as part of its plans to develop Guwahati as a helicopter hub.
“After establishing connectivity among all major places in the north-east, we will explore possibility to start our services to neighbouring countries and south east Asia,” Pawan Hans General Manager (Eastern Region) Sanjay Kumar said on Thursday.
The company will send a team “very soon” to Bhutan to explore possibility of launching commercial services between Guwahati and the Himalayan nation, he added.
“In the next three-four years, we will develop Guwahati as one of the four helicopter hubs in the country.
As part of this plan, we will expand our services significantly,” Kumar said. The company will add around 20 more carriers to its current fleet of 12 in the north-east over the next three-four years, besides setting up a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Assam capital, he said.
“We will also set up a skill development centre in the region for training pilots and engineers. We will also hire around 400-500 more people in addition to the existing around 150 employees,” he added.
The company has already taken a hangar from AAI at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati that can handle at least 15 choppers at a time. Kumar said Pawan Hans will also offer cargo facilities in the region, besides starting night landing in future.
When asked about the size of investment for its expansion plans in the north-east, Kumar said it will be “significant”, but did not specify the amount. Pawan Hans currently carries around 150 passengers per day in the north-east and flies about 700 hours a week. The other three helicopter hubs being developed by Pawan Hans will be in New Delhi, Mumbai and Visakhapatnam. (PTI)
