Pawan Hans

Pawan Hans Limited is a helicopter operator owned by the Government of India. It was incorporated in October 1985 as Helicopter Corporation of India and began flying on 1 November 1985. It is a Mini Ratna public sector company under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) holds a 49% stake. The corporate headquarters is in Noida.

Juhu Aerodrome in Mumbai is the company's main hub for offshore work, and Rohini Heliport in Delhi is a second major hub. The company's website reports more than 19 operating bases, over one million flight hours and more than 2.5 million passengers carried.

Most of its work is offshore support for ONGC and other energy companies. It also flies inter-island services in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep, regional services in Uttarakhand, and government contract flights in north-eastern states. Its pilgrimage charters include flights from Dehradun to Kedarnath and Badrinath. It also flies VIP charters and helicopter emergency medical flights.

The fleet has included Bell 206 and 407, Airbus AS350 B3 and Dauphin, and Mil Mi-17 helicopters, as well as HAL Dhruv aircraft. Wikipedia gives a fleet of about 42 to 47 helicopters. A government attempt to sell the company was called off in 2023.

Pawan Hans is mainly a contract and public-service operator. Private flyers usually book it for pilgrimage or regional seats, or arrange a charter directly with the company.