NEW DELHI, Apr 15:
Helicopter services provider Pawan Hans is in the process of carrying out an organisational audit after completion of two safety audits against the backdrop of a chopper crash that killed seven people in January.
Pawan Hans Chairman and Managing Director B P Sharma asserted that the company has a “very robust safety system” that has been further strengthened.
“We are the first helicopter company that has got the safety management manual approved by the DGCA… We have already (done) two audits — one with Airbus and one with RWSI (Rotary Wing Society of India). We are also doing the third one with independent international experts to improve upon the system that we have,” he said.
According to Sharma, the major audit plan will completely look into the organisation as a whole.
The disinvestment-bound company — which is a joint venture between the government and state-owned ONGC — has a fleet of 42 helicopters and plans to lease eight more as it prepares to start services under the regional air connectivity scheme.
The audits also come against the backdrop of crash of its Eurocopter Dauphin N3 chopper off the Mumbai coast that killed all the seven on-board on January 13.
When asked about the crash, Sharma said that two audits have been taken up and “primarily there appears to be no reasons that why we have gone into that accident”.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is probing the incident.
Pawan Hans has bagged 11 routes in the second round of bidding under Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS). The scheme seeks to connect unserved and under-served airports as well as make flying more affordable. Participating airlines and chopper service providers are provided with various incentives, including viability gap funding.
Meanwhile, the government has come out with a fresh preliminary information memorandum for the strategic disinvestment of its 51 per cent in Pawan Hans. (PTI)
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