“We need to see the potential of helicopters and how they are being used in the world.”
The advent of helicopters in Nepal was really a boon and a blessing. When helicopters entered Nepal’s skies, the country was not as well connected as it is today, the terrain and hills and mountains, made many areas inaccessible and for the population in these areas and life was very challenging and difficult. With the lack of roads and infrastructure, people had to walk for days even for access to a health post in life and death situations and even for market access to buy or sell the most essential commodities.
After helicopters started operations in Nepal, in many cases they were the only alternative to transport food grain, medicines and also to respond in emergency situations and natural disasters. However, because
of the very limited number of choppers, it was often not available when needed most and many Nepalis felt it was beyond their capability or affordability. However, with more liberal policies and the entry of private helicopter companies starting operations, the number of aircraft increased and the role and responsibilities of serving the nation also increased. The scope of helicopter services and its contribution to the country also increased as the country developed. Today helicopters play an important role in many areas from tourism, to infrastructure building, serving the nation and in natural disasters or rescue and evacuation. The role of helicopters in tourism really began during the Visit Nepal 1998 campaign. Nepal was promoted actively and the number of
tourist to Nepal saw a huge increase. As the number of adventure seekers saw a rise and tourist demand for mountaineering and trekking increased, helicopters were used in a big way to transport them as well as for rescue and evacuation in cases of accidents, altitude sickness and other medical emergencies. Nepal’s economy is very dependent on our tourism industry as it brings in the much-required foreign currency. In the tourism industry the role of helicopters is irreplaceable. Even today luxury and high-end tourist are ready to pay top dollars for pilgrimage tourism to holy sites that are difficult to travel to. Some our most holy sites, take days of trek and while many older pilgrims cannot undertake these trips, they are eager to fly there by helicopter.
During the civil war and height of insurgency in Nepal, helicopters played a very important role in serving the country. During the earthquake of 2015 and other natural disasters, from landslides to floods and drought, helicopters played a significant role in saving lives and serving distressed communities and individuals in desperate need, the role of helicopters has always been vital.
In a country like Nepal where travel by road is still a challenge, helicopters are irreplaceable when it comes to rescue and relief. In the case of medical emergencies, there is no alternative and this was borne out during the COVID pandemic. Helicopters played a huge role in transporting medicines, vaccines and even essential food grain to many remote areas when the country was in lockdown.
When people were staying home to minimize the threat of infection, our helicopter crew was risking their lives to transport infected patients to hospitals as they needed medical assistance and hospitalization. From rescue and evacuations of tourist suffering from altitude sickness or accidents in the high Himalayas to sometimes recovering and returning the bodies of unfortunate adventure seekers to their loved ones, helicopter teams risk their lives to perform their duty.
In terms of serving the nation the role of helicopters is ever increasing and today helicopters are being used also in infrastructure building, fighting forest fires, floods and almost every sector of national need. In the case of a fire at the Pathibhara Temple, our Simrik Air chopper flew in to douse the flames as that was the fastest and most efficient way to fight the flames. So, the area and scope of helicopters is ever increasing and changing.
The government and helicopter companies can work together to develop the nation. In our development of infrastructure helicopters can and has played a big role in transportation of goods and heavy machinery to areas that are inaccessible. Helicopters are now used by infrastructure projects and hydropower projects to transport wires, towers and heavy equipment. In many remote and forested areas when cables and high-tension wires have a problem or need maintenance our helicopters are called in to serve.
Today, the role of helicopters in Nepal is growing and they can be used in almost every aspect of life. The role of helicopters in Nepal is very different when compared to the rest of the world. We are not just for luxury tourist to ride and be rescued. There is a huge future for the helicopter industry and there is a need for even more helicopters in Nepal.
However, the way the government, stakeholders and community look at the helicopter industry needs to change. We need to see the potential of helicopters and how they are being used in the world. Nepal needs more helicopters because they are not just for the rich luxury tourists. We need to evaluate our policies and permissions and make the changes that are needed to let this industry grow and reach new heights. In the flourishing of helicopter industry lies the potential for bettering our tourism industry and serving and building the nation better.
Captain Rameshwor Thapa
Chairman, Simrik Air
