"We will not pass on the burden to the customers but absorb it ourselves," CMD of Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited (PHHL) R K Tyagi has said.
Replying to questions, he said the fares to Vaishno Devi and Kedarnath shrines would remain the same despite the rise in fuel prices. A round trip fare to Vaishno Devi costs about Rs 2,450, while that to Kedarnath is priced at Rs 7,000.
On the arrangements being made for the upcoming Commonwealth Games here, Tyagi said while one heliport is coming up at Rohini, another one would come up near the Games Village near Akshardham.
"The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is giving us Rs 1.92 crore for the construction of the second helipad near the Games village," he said here.
Tyagi said PHHL was also holding discussions with the governments of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for land to create helipads at 10-12 places in the National Capital Region.
The Rohini heliport would cover helicopter operations, maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities as well as a training academy for pilots and technical personnel.
The one near the games village would be used as a Primary Hub Centre from where helicopters would operate during the day and position back in the evenings and facilitate transportation of VIPs, officials and players to the 15 game sites in Delhi.
In view of the growth potential for its business from new areas like law and order, medical services and tourism, PHHL has ordered 10 helicopters and has plans to expand its fleet by 100 choppers in next few years, company officials said.
For the first time in India, Pawan Hans has started services for washing the insulators of high-tension wires under live current conditions for Power Grid Corporation since November 2008. It has deployed Bell helicopters, fitted with specialised equipment, to clean the insulator ring.
This service is currently being undertaken in North India where fog and air pollution gets deposited on insulators, thereby causing power lines to trip, they said, adding that it has led to a considerable decline in power tripping and helped Power Grid to almost do away with manual washing.