Seperate Zones For General, VVIP & Medical Air Facility At Nashik Kumbh Mela 2027; Aircraft Operators To Undergo 5-Year Accident History Screening

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) has set in motion an ambitious blueprint ahead of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela 2027. The plan aims to establish direct air connectivity linking the mega-religious gathering’s key sites and the holy Trimbakeshwar Jyotirlinga circuit with Nashik and Shirdi airports.

MADC Appointed Nodal Agency

On August 17, the inter-departmental meeting chaired by Maharashtra's Additional Chief Secretary (Transport), MADC was designated as the nodal agency for coordinating helicopter and allied aviation support services for the Nashik Kumbh. MADC has issued a Request for Proposal to appoint a specialised aviation consulting firm to structure, plan and operationalise a complete helicopter and allied aviation support network from a "blank slate".

The project aims to seamlessly connect peak VIP pilgrim flows around the Godavari riverbanks, the Trimbakeshwar temple circuit, Nashik Airport (Ozar) and Shirdi Airport. As part of the assignment, several candidate helipad sites across Nashik and Trimbakeshwar have been proposed for evaluation and development. This includes two sites in Nashik and four around Trimbakeshwar.

Consultant To Conduct Safety Surveys

According to the tender floated, the selected consultant will lead the process from initial ground surveys to full operational readiness as no sites have been pre-cleared. The work will include pre-feasibility assessments and obstacle limitation surface surveys to verify takeoff and landing safety parameters. The mandate also involves charting minimum safe flight corridors and deconflicting air traffic.

The consultant will act as a single-point technical liaison to obtain all necessary clearances from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Airports Authority of India, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, Ministry of Civil Aviation and local district authorities. Since the Nashik Airport is co-located with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited facilities, the agency will also establish dedicated air traffic protocols with HAL and the Indian Air Force, including Central Air Traffic Services (CAATS) and the nearby Deolali Military Range.

Kumbh Stampede Lessons Shape Safety Plan

The tender explicitly embeds non-negotiable safety mandates designed around documented lessons from previous mass gatherings and regional aviation incidents. Incorporating lessons from the 2025 Maha Kumbh stampede at Prayagraj, all helipads must feature strictly segregated zones for public shuttles, VVIPs and medical evacuations. Helipad exits will enforce dedicated crowd-channelization pathways and maximum permissible dwell-time protocols to eliminate bottlenecking.

Addressing past pilgrimage helicopter accidents in high-terrain zones like the Char Dham route, the project institutes a mandatory, non-discretionary "weather go/no-go" protocol managed by on-site safety officers empowered to hold or ground flights during poor visibility. The aircraft operators bidding for shuttle or medical evacuation services will undergo mandatory 5-year incident/accident history screenings prior to empanelment.

The emergency readiness plans require dedicated Category H1–H3 firefighting setups, on-site ambulances with paramedics and direct integration into the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) networks.

The consultant will also oversee standard operating procedures, ground handling agency empanelment, commercial traffic forecasting and integration into the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority’s (NTKMA) digital ecosystem for integrated ticketing and passenger tracking.

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