It is the country's one and only government-owned-helicopter service provider with the objective of providing helicopter support services to the oil sector for its off-shore exploration operations, services in remote areas and charter services for promotion of tourism.
Pawan Hans Limited (PHL) was incorporated on 15 October 1985 as the Helicopter Corporation of India (HCI). It commenced its operations on 1 November 1985 with 2 British Westland helicopters and later acquired 21 more helicopters. Union government had 78.5% ownership and 21.5% with ONGC. The name was changed to Pawan Hans Ltd in August 1986.[3]
During 1987, the technical and structural problem, which plagued the PHL from the beginning, started increasing and some 9 Westland and 7 Dauphins were grounded. Indian Air Force gave a loan of helicopters to Phl. .
In 1988/89, multiple crashes got PHL into serious troubles and forced PHL to withdraw all helicopter services except ONGC. However PHL still managed to deliver 3 Helicopter Mail Service though in late 1988 HMS was also withdrawn.[4]
In 1997, Pawan Hans Helicopter Ltd and Pawan Hans Pilots' Guild reached a settlement over several worker conditions.[5]
In July 2002, PHL was awarded Quality Summit International Award in the Gold Category in New York for its excellence, quality and corporate achievement by Business Initiative Directions (BID), Spain.[7]
On 16 May 2003, PHL started its Kedarnath operations with five-seater Bell-407 helicopter.[8]
On 26 August 2004, PHL signed a MOU with Uttaranchal government's Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam Ltd to promote tourism in state.[9]
In 2007, PHL started a 10 person project to upgrade skills of their aeronautical engineer so to make them pilots as to fight shortage of pilots.[10]
Signing of Memorandum of Understanding for releasing IAF Pilots to Pawan Hans Helicopter Ltd., in New Delhi on February 15, 2008
In 2008, PHI gave Dauphin N-3 helicopters to state anti-naxal operation cell as to counter Maoist insurgency in Vidarbha District.[12]
In 2010, ONGC has upped its stake to 49%, a move that will saw the equity base of PHL being enhanced to ₹245 crores from the existing ₹113 crores.[13]
Shri Praful Patel addressing at the launch of India’s first Sea Plane
On 27 December 2010, seaplane services were operationalized in Andaman and Nicobar Islands as per MOU signed between Andaman and Nicobar Administration and PHL. The service began with an eight-seater Cessna 208A Amphibian seaplane named Jal Hans will be used by PHHL to ferry tourists between Port Blair and Havelock Island in the presence of Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel. This was the first introduction of seaplanes in India.[14]
On 29 April 2011, a Pawan Hans AS350 B-3 helicopter carrying Dorjee Khandu, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, and four other people went missing. It was traced four days later near Lobthang. All 5 people were found dead. After this incident Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh suspended PHI services.[15]
As of January 2017, the partially government owned helicopter service provider had a net worth of ₹3,701.5 crores and paid-up equity share capital was ₹245.61 crores. Pawan Hans is an "Approved Maintenance Centre of Eurocopter" and also the first ISO 9001: 2000 certified aviation company in India. On 12 January 2017, the Government of India approved the privatization of Pawan Hans.[16]
On 3 July 2023, the department of investment and public asset management (DIPAM) scrapped the strategic disinvestment after it disqualified the successful bidder Star 9 Mobility Pvt Ltd, a consortium of three companies Maharaja Aviation Pvt, Big Charter Pvt, led by Almas Global Opportunity Fund. The consortium had placed a winning bid of ₹211.14 crore in 2021.[18]
PHL runs helicopter services from Phata to the Kedarnath Temple during yatra seasons i.e., May-June and September-October every year. And also provides service for Amarnath Temple from Rudraprayag. It also runs Vaishno Devi helicopter service.[2]
PHL has emerged as Asia's one of the largest helicopter operators with a own operational fleet of 43 helicopters.[17]
In 2011, PHHLs operations in the North Eastern States of India came under serious public criticism due to safety issues.[30] After the crash that killed the Chief Minister of Arunachal PradeshDorjee Khandu and five others, it operations in the North East region were suspended and DGCA was asked to conduct safety audit of the company. The operations were resumed in January 2013. But yet another accident took place on 4 August 2015 killing 3 people on board, including an IAS officer.[31]
July 1988: A Westland crashed near Vaishno Devi killing 5 passengers and two crew members.
August 1988: A Dauphin crashed in sea near Madras killing 8 passengers and two pilots.
Feb 1989: A helicopter crashed near Kohima killing 2 pilots and a technician.
30 Sep 2001: Helicopter crashlanded at the airport containing A. P. J. Kalam. No one was hurt.
6 May 2002: A Pawan Hans Dauphin helicopter carrying eight ONGC personnel crashed into Arabian Sea. All 10 people survived.[32]
22 Sep 2004: Meghalaya Community and Rural Development Minister Cyprian Sangma, two MLAs and a former Deputy Speaker were killed when a Pawan Hans helicopter A 365N crashed near Shillong.[33][34]
26 Sep 2007: A PHI Ambulance helicopter crashed while landing at the Kavaratti helipad. All 3 people on helicopter escaped.[35]
06 Aug 2010: A Pawan Hans crew member fell 10,000 feet (3,000 m) to his death at Namsai in Arunachal Pradesh, while trying to close a door of that had flung open during a flight.[36][37]
16 Dec 2010: A Pawan Hans Dauphin 365 N3 helicopter[38] crashed barely 30 minutes before it State Industries and Local Bodies Minister Manoranjan Kalia at Chandigarh Airport, leaving the pilots injured.[39][40]
29 Apr 2011: A Pawan Hans AS350 B-3 helicopter carrying Dorjee Khandu, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, and four other people, Tawang to Itanagar went missing. It was traced four days later near Lobthang. All 5 people were found dead.[43]
29 Dec 2012: A Pawan Hans had to make a emergency landing. It was carrying 6 pilgrims and 1 pilot to Vaishnodevi. No one died but were injured.[44]
04 Aug 2015: A Pawan Hans Dauphin N3 twin-engined aircraft carrying Tirap Deputy Commissioner Kamlesh Kumar Joshi, a 2010 batch IAS officer, and pilots M S Brar and Rajeev Hoskote crashed killing all its occupants.[45][46]
Debris from the Pawan Hans Limited Helicopter located by an ONGC Ship 4 July 201504 Nov 2015: Pawan Hans Helicopter (Aerospatiale Dauphin) employed in offshore oil platform service crashed into the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai. The Helicopter was on night flying practice when the incident happened and was occupied by two pilots only, no passengers were present. Both the pilots perished in the incident.[47][48]
13 Jan 2018: Pawan Hans Helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea Off the coast of Mumbai while ferrying seven people including ONGC personnel. The bodies of the seven people, including five senior ONGC officers, debris from the aircraft was located.[49]
28 June 2022: Pawan Hans Sikorsky helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea killing four people, including three ONGC personnel. Five others were rescued.[50][51]
₹372.90 crore (US$45 million)(2020–21)
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