India, April 15 -- Uttarakhand will limit flight operations, deploy weather experts, and set up command centres as part of tightened safety measures ahead of the pilgrimage season beginning April 19, in view of five helicopter accidents within 40 days during the Char Dham Yatra last year.

Officials said a minimum of 1,500 flying hours, including 750 hours in mountainous terrain, have been made mandatory for pilots to operate flights for the pilgrimage. They added that companies whose helicopters were involved in accidents last year have been barred from operations this season, and a fresh tender process was conducted to replace them.

In June 2025, seven people were killed when a helicopter carrying pilgrims from Kedarnath to Guptkashi c...