Helicopter Ride in Sikkim

The first thing one needs to understand the helicopter service in Sikkim is that it is not a pure tourist service. The available helicopter also supports other services such as emergency evacuation, medical requirement, disaster management support etc. Hence in case of urgent requirement, tourist transport is not the highest in the priority of this service. So there can be occasional cancellation for your pre-booked helicopter ride in case there is any other more important engagement the helicopter need to support.

There are two types of Helicopter service popular in Sikkim. One is the flight from Bagdogra Airport to Pakyong Airport and the other is the joy ride around Sikkim.

Till the inauguration of the Pakyong Airport in 2018, Sikkim did not have any airfield and Bagdogra airport in the neighboring West Bengal was the nearest. Since Bagdogra is a good 5 hours drive from Sikkimese capital Gangtok, many visitors used to fly into Bagdogra and take the 30 minutes helicopter ride to Gangtok.

With the opening of Pakyong Airport, this need has reduced. However Bagdogra still remains the major hub of tourist transport compared to much smaller and much fewer flights to Pakyong, hence the helicopter ferry still remains an important requirement.
During the low season, the flight may be canceled for a variety of reasons including non-availability of passengers. During the peak season though, the helicopter makes several sorties as there is a huge demand for the flight.

The Mountain flight is also a popular way to visit the mountains of Sikkim. Regular mountain flights are now done away with and the flights are mostly flown now on a chartered basis. The charges are on a per minute of flying time basis. Also, the charges for high altitude flight going towards North-Sikkim, Kanchenjunga and its vicinity is higher compared to flight charges for South and East Sikkim area. 

As of 2019, the flight tariff for chartered flight is about 1000 to 1200 per minute of flying time. 4 person can be taken on the flight together. For standard itineraries such as Gangtok City tour, Chardham tour etc, the tariff is fixed and is slightly lower. The tariff for Bagdogra Pakyong flight service stood at 3500 as in 2019. Kindly note that the tariff given above are only suggestive and please consult our travel experts for the updated tariff.

Rules and Regulation:

1. No Cameras are allowed During Kanchendzonga and North Sikkim flights as per the rules laid down by the Ministry of Defence, Govt. Of India. Photography allowed in other Flights.
2. Lap baby below 6 Months 10% of the fare except for Gangtok to Bagdogra/Bagdogra to Gangtok route in which case Rs.550/-shall be charged for the Lap baby.
3. The baggage allowance per person is 10Kg only Rs.50/-per extra kg shall be charged for access baggage to the extent of 3kg.
4. Flight confirmation is strictly depending on seat availability and weather condition.
5. No Ferry facilities available for the passengers.
6. The rates and timing of above flights are subject to change at any time without prior notice. Please confirm the latest rates and timing before booking.

 Cancellation Rules:

1. In case the confirmed ticket is canceled 12 Hrs before the departure time: 75% of the ticket value will be deducted.
2. In case the confirmed ticket is canceled 24 Hrs before the departure time: 50% of the ticket value will be deducted.
3. In case the confirmed ticket is canceled 48 Hrs before the departure time: 25% of the ticket value will be deducted.
4. Documentation charge @ Rs.100/-per tickets shall be charged in case the tickets canceled well before 48 hrs.
5. In case of “NO SHOW” No refund.
6. A full refund shall be made in case the Heliservice is canceled due to an unavoidable condition.
7. The refund amount will be forwarded to the respective passengers as and when your tour operator received the refund amount by STDC. Your tour operator will not take responsibility on a delay of Refund Amount, as your tour operator depends fully on the STDC official refund procedure.
8. All passengers on these sight-seeing flights are awarded official Certificates of Participation by the Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation (STDC) as Souvenirs.

We can pre-arrange helicopter service in your Tour package for Sikkim as per the Following service charges: Regular Flights (IXB-GTK or GTK to IXB) 10% service charge on per tickets. Charted Flights-3% service charge on total billing amount. In case of cancellation the refundable amount would be as per STDC norms and procedure, however, the service charges will not be refunded.