Kedarnath Helicopter Shuttle Service Sells Out 31,450 Seats in 90 Minutes
Online booking for Kedarnath heli shuttles concludes; 31,450 seats booked within 90 minutes
Hindustan Times
Image: Hindustan Times
The Kedarnath helicopter shuttle service saw all 31,450 seats booked within 90 minutes of opening on April 15, 2023. The service, which operates from Guptkashi, Phata, and Sirsi, provides a vital aerial link for pilgrims heading to the Himalayan shrine, significantly reducing their trek.
- 01All 31,450 seats for the Kedarnath helicopter service were booked in 90 minutes.
- 02The booking portal opened at 6 PM on April 15, 2023.
- 03Maharashtra recorded the highest number of bookings with 1,708 transactions.
- 04Pilgrims made 51% of bookings directly, while 49% were through authorized channels.
- 05The state government implemented measures to ensure booking transparency and limit user access.
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All 31,450 available seats for the Kedarnath helicopter shuttle service were fully booked within 90 minutes after the portal opened on April 15, 2023. The booking process began at 6 PM and concluded by 7:28 PM, with 10,855 tickets issued through the official Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) portal. This helicopter service connects base camps to the Kedarnath shrine, significantly easing the 16-km trek for pilgrims. The peak booking activity occurred between 6:10 PM and 6:32 PM, with 849 bookings recorded at 6:10 PM alone. Maharashtra led the booking statistics with 1,708 successful transactions, followed by states like Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Telangana, Karnataka, and Gujarat. To ensure fairness, the Uttarakhand Tourism Department limited each user to two bookings and 12 seats, with additional restrictions on IP addresses to prevent abuse. As of now, 913 seats have been canceled across 510 booking IDs.
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The rapid booking of helicopter seats indicates high demand for pilgrimage services, which could enhance local tourism and economic activity in the region.
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