Amarnath Yatra Helicopter 2023

Amarnath Yatra Helicopter is one of the most searched terms by the pilgrims after Amarnath Yatra Registration on the search engine. Reason is clear that it is the most demandable service to complete Amarnath Yatra and other lord shiva Pilgrimages across India and outside India Like Kailash mansarovar. Everybody knows Amarnath yatra is a very tough pilgrimage of Lord shiva. The trekking route is very narrow and slippery as compared to other religious pilgrimages like Kedarnath Yatra,  Manimahesh Yatra, Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, Maa Vaishno Devi Yatra, Machail Yatra, Om Parvat Yatra etc. So, everybody cannot trek to these religious sites without the help of Helicopter service. This is the reason helicopter services are mostly demanded in these locations. When we talk about India, most of the Pilgrimages sites and the Helicopter facilities are controlled by the local government for that particular region. In the case of Amarnath Yatra also the Helicopter service is controlled by Local Jammu Kashmir government’s Nodal agency Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board. The fixation of Helicopter fares, Routes, operators, timing, seats availability etc are done by the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board every two year by its tender process. Whoever Helicopter Operators satisfy the terms and conditions they get the tender for that particular year. If the Shrine Board finds the operator suitable then they extend the period of tender. 

There are many rules and regulations of Amarnath Yatra Helicopter. In this post we will describe each and every detail about Amarnath Yatra Helicopter, its booking process, helicopter fare of last 10 years, Helicopter booking dates, terms & conditions of booking, step by step procedure to book Amarnath Helicopter and all the routes available to book Amarnath Helicopter etc. On every tender process only 3 helicopter companies are finalised  for the Pilgrimage. The main reason behind this is the limited infrastructure and small helipads available at the Baltal, Neelgrath, Panchtarni (also known as ( Panjtarni ), Holy cave and Pahalgam base point. In this post we will also describe all the helipads available for Amarnath Yatra Pilgrimage and all the inactive helipads.

Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Routes

There are only two routes available to complete the Amarnath Yatra Pilgrimage.  One is Neelgrath / Baltal Route and other is Pahalgam route.  Since only two routes are available for pilgrimage this is the reason there are only two routes of Amarnath Yatra Helicopter.

(i) Neelgrath /Baltal Route – This is the new and shortest route for Amarnath Yatra Pilgrimage by Helicopter. Earlier helicopters were used to fly from Baltal Helipad but from 2015 Baltal helipad closed and Neelgrath helipad started for the Pilgrimage.

(ii)- Pahalgam Route -Pahalgam is one of the oldest and traditional routes for Amarnath Yatra Pilgrimage. It is known that this route was used by Lord Shiva himself to reach the holy cave. This is the reason this route has lots of importance. Amarnath Yatra Helicopter flies from this helipad so this is another route to complete Amarnath Yatra Pilgrimage.

Amarnath Yatra Helipads

There are 7 Helipads available till date to complete Amarnath Yatra Pilgriamge by Helicopter.  But only 5 helipads are functional and only 3 helipads are open for pilgrims. Below we will describe each helipad step by step.

1. Srinagar Helipad– This is located at Srinagar Airport and generally used by VIP’s and defence personnel for their official and personal use. For the last 2 years this helipad has been opened for Pilgrims and if you book a charter helicopter then you can fly directly from here to Panchtarni helipad ( 6 kms away from the Shri AmarnathJi  Holycave ). We have helicopter services available on a regular basis from Srinagar Airport to Panchtarni Helipad. You can check from here Helicopter Prices and Travel Itinerary. If the weather conditions are good on that particular day, then you can complete Amarnath Yatra in 1 day from here. Generally, it takes overall 50 minutes to reach the Panchtarni via  Baltal and Pahalgam route. You can call us for more details at +91-9650179446 /+91-9650179451 or mail us at booking@amarnathjiyatra.com

2. Neelgath  or Neelgrat Helipad – Neelgrath Helipad is also known as Neelgrat Helipad and is located 84 kms away from Srinagar towards Baltal /Kargil. This helipad is 4 kms away from Sonamarg and 12 kms before Baltal Helipad. This is a new helipad and started in the year 2015 to reduce the load of Baltal Helipad. This is a functional helipad and the only available helipad nearest to Srinagar, Sonamarg ,Baltal, Kargil and Holycave . Pilgrims can fly from here to Panchtarni helipad only. Since the distance from Neelgrath helipad to Panjtarni Helipad is only 14 kms and generally takes 7 minutes from this helipad to Panchtarni so the fare is also less as compared to other helipads for Amarnath Yatra Pilgrimage. The fare of Helicopter from Neelgrath Helipad to Panchtarni is fixed Rs 1801 for year 2020. Once we complete the details of all the helipads, you can check the fare chart table year wise below. Generally, there are two helicopter operators giving their service from Neelgrath Helipad year wise. Name of helicopter operators decided by the government through its tender process. For Next year the operators have not been decided yet. Even 2 companies give their helicopter service, timely darshan and reliability of flying on time cannot be believed. So, whenever you choose this helipad keep at least one day extra in your hand to maintain the tension free schedule, otherwise you will have to cancel your flights/ train for your onward journey. Weather condition is not always good from both the routes Neelgrath & Pahalgam. 

3. Baltal Helipad – This was one of the busiest helipads for Amarnath Yatra Pilgrimage before it was closed in the year 2015. Since Baltal route is also the last point to start trekking for holy cave so lots of pilgrims used to stay here to start their journey of holy cave. When helicopters were flying from here to Panchtarni govt found lots of rush to manage. Because helicopter pilgrims and trekking pilgrims both used to stay here for their next day journey and sometimes last-minute mind change, trekking pilgrims were also looking for Helicopter tickets for their Holy Journey. This gave black marketer of Baltal to sell tickets at a higher rate. For security personnel it was also very difficult to manage the rush. During Yatra time vehicles stop a kms ahead from the Baltal base point and from there pilgrims have to walk because of luggage x ray scanning. So, the government decided to build a new helipad at Neelgrath for pilgrims and left Baltal Helipad for official use.  But for Pilgrims point of view, it was not a good decision because if any reason pilgrims feel tired at Baltal to start trek or change their mind at last minute to go by helicopter due to sickness or else then they have to come back to Neelgrath with additional expenses of transport and even then, there is no surety that they will get on spot tickets or not. When Helipad was at Baltal pilgrims ask at the counter about availability and if they find no availability then they go by Pony or Palki but now the time has changed to even ask the availability on that particular day they will have to spend around Rs 3000 bucks to go and come back. Phone and Mobile numbers of operators at counters not working always.

4. Pahalgam Helipad – This is another helipad available for Pilgrims. Pahalgam Helipad is located 95 kms from Srinagar near the Lidder river.  The distance from Pahagam to Panchtarni is around 45 kms and it takes around 20 minutes to reach Panchtarni. The fare from Pahalgam helipad to Panchtarni return fare was fixed Rs 6208 for the year 2020.  This helipad is also one of the busiest helipads available for Amarnath Yatra.  Pilgrims who prefer to use the traditional route of lord shiva and want a good view of nature with joy and adventurous helicopter ride then they prefer to take this route. But keep in mind that only 1 helicopter company flies from this helipad till date so timely arrival and departure is not so easy and reliable, dependency is not too much as far as timely darshan is concerned.  So, whenever you choose this helipad to fly keep extra days in your hand same in the case of Neelgrath Helipad.

5. Kargil Helipad- This Helipad is not opened for Pilgrims and only defence personnel can use this Helipad for their official use.

6.  Panchtarni Helipad – Panchtarni Helipad is the topmost busiest helipad among all the helipads available till date for AmarnathYatra. All the Pilgrims Helicopters from Pahalgam, Neelgrath and Srinagar give their service only till Panchtarni Helipad. No Pilgrims helicopter go beyond this Point. Panchtarni is one of the famous tourist places and last helipad point of Lord Shiva Baba Barfani Pilgrimage. From Panchtarni Helipad shri Amarnathji Holycave is 6 kms away and takes 2-3 hours to reach by pony / palki or by walk. When you reach Panchtarni you find lots of Pony wala, Palkiwals, Langar wala and Tent wala  outside the helipad. Here Lord Shiva left all the five elements, so the name is Panchtarni.  Panchtarni  is one of the beautiful places to spend a night with full of Nature view. The temperature here is very cold and around 5- 8 degree during daytime and in minus during nighttime but when you feel Lord shiva stays nearby only and will be here for next 2 months then it gives full courage to the devotee to spend the Night. We Provide one night stay at panchtarni in Well maintained tent with full facility. Check our Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Packages from here.

After getting down From Helicopter at  Panchtarni Helipad 

i. The Holy Cave is around 6 Kms from the Panchtarni Helipad and generally takes 2 hours to reach the holy cave and same time to return.

ii. The Yatris traveling till Panchtarni by Helicopter will have to travel the distance on foot or on Ponies / Dandies as may be available at Panchtarni. Yatris must read the general instructions (Dos and Don’ts from here..

7. Shri Amarnathji Holycave Helipad – This is just 100 metres away from the famous Hindu Shrine Shri Amarnath Holy cave and known as Shri Amarnathji Holycave Helipad. This helipad is closed for Pilgrims of Amarnath yatra and is only open for Official use. This helipad is used only by Defense, Jammu and Kashmir Government and by Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board Personnel. . Earlier Helicopters were used to fly from Baltal and Pahalgam helipad to directly Holy Cave helipad but due environmental problems and helicopter crash in the year 2009 the service from this helipad stopped by the government for the pilgrimage and for the pilgrims. But if this helipad is open then most of the Tent wala will keep their tent near the Holy cave because earning from the tent is their bread and butter so the govt will have to find the solution for them. But other main part is if we leave the tent side because trekking pilgrims from Pahalgam halt their night at Panchtarni only so tent person will get their job  but main point is  there is no proper space at Holy cave Helipad as compare to Panchtarni for all the helicopters landing, also same time  oxygen level is very low near the cave and most of the pilgrims will try to stay near cave only so it will create for the organiser. Apart from this it is believed that if pilgrims come to the holy cave directly then environmental issues will come up at that place. Hope Infrastructure will improve, and pilgrims will fly till holy cave they used before 2010.

Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Fare and Tickets Price Route and Sector wise for Amarnath Yatra 2023

In 2015 Helicopter routes from Baltal changed to Neelgrath Helipad and Pahalgam route helipad remains unchanged. Below is the price table from 2015- 2023

Above prices includes all taxes.

Till 2011 children between 2-12 years were used to pay half the fare but from 2012 onwards children above 13 years only allowed for the yatra, so they were charged full by the Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Operators and Amarnath Shrine Board.

Amarnath Yatra Helicopter tickets booking Terms & Conditions

Following are the terms and conditions to book Amarnath Yatra Helicopter tickets.

(i) – Pilgrims between the age of 13 years to 70 years are allowed to book helicopter tickets and Pregnant ladies of more than 6 months pregnancy are not allowed to book.

(ii) – Medical health certificate is compulsory to board into the helicopter. Download from here

(iii)-Registration will be provided by the helicopter operators

(iv) with one debit card/ credit card only 6 passengers can be booked tickets within a period of 1 month from the date of booking.

(v) The credit card/ debit card will be verified at the helipad through which tickets are issued then only boarding pass will be provided otherwise ticket will be cancelled and cancellation charge will be applied.

(vi) only one piece of luggage with maximum 5 kg are allowed to carry in the helicopter

(vii) Valid original same id proof will be checked before checking in through which ticket was booked.

(viii)- All booked passengers of a particular pnr may or may not be grouped in the same helicopter because of weight. Helicopter limitation is 350 kg per trip so grouping of pilgrims will be done accordingly.

(ix) – if the helicopter is overloaded then operators are authorized to whom or whose luggage to be offloaded for the next trip. 

(x) in case of flight cancellation due to bad weather or whatsoever reason, full refund shall be granted as per the printed ticket price to the pilgrims. If there is a fund shortage, then refund will be done in the booked credit card/ debit card provided you take a stamp on the unused ticket that you have not travelled and the same ticket to be mailed to the operators email id printed on the tickets. 

(xi)- Aerial photography and photography of helipad are prohibited by law

(xii) Helicopter operators are not liable for any Loss or damage of baggage due to delay in flights. As per their rule if they delivered you at the time of termination of journey without any complaints by you then it means they handed over your luggage without any problem. 

(xiii) Amarnath Yatra Helicopter operators reserve the right to cancel the abusive, intoxicated or unsafe passengers’ tickets. Operators may deny the boarding and shall full refund the amount.

(xiv) by keeping pilgrims’ point of view if Pilgrims find the helicopter operator is not service oriented then they can swap Helicopter operators at helipad without any charges by producing old helicopter operators issued tickets, its helicopter operator duty to do internal transaction. If Pilgrims face problems, then they can contact the nearest camp director for the same.

Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Tickets Cancellation Policy

Following are cancellation policies of Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Tickets.

No Refund once ticket is booked. This is govt cancellation rule.

Cancelled due to bad weather full refund after deducting the transaction fee as charged by the bank and the administrative charge @ Rs150 Per Passenger.

Cancelled due to technical problem full refund after deducting the transaction fee as charged by the bank Per Passenger.

No show No Refund

Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Operators

Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Operators are selected every two years by the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board. Shrine board floats tender properly with terms and conditions to choose the helicopter operator. Earlier only 3 operators were fixed for Amarnath Helicopter Pilgrimages service but from 2022 onwards there are four helicopter operators selected for the entire operation of Amarnath Yatra Pilgrimage from both the routes.

Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Tickets Booking Procedure

There are 2 methods to book Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Tickets. First one is Online Booking and second one is Offline booking. Step by step guide to book Amarnath Yatra Helicopter tickets online and offline. Online booking of Helicopter tickets is very tough. It is more than 100 times harder than IRCTC Indian Railway Tatkal train tickets booking. You see the availability but there is so if and but that you end up with nothing.

Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Tickets Online Booking

Step1 – Choose the route of yatra.

Step 2– Visit the online authorized website to issue the tickets. Once the authorized website for 2023 is announced by the Jammu and Kashmir govt it will be updated here. Till that time, you can put your request here. 

Step 3– Choose the date of journey.

Step 4 – select no of passengers, at a time you can book maximum 6 pilgrims within a period of 1 month with a debit card or credit card.

Step 5– Fill the details of passengers, proceed next and pay the amount online. 

Step 6– download the Amarnath Yatra Helicopter tickets.

Step 7– Make the Health Certificate and wait for the darshan date.  Without Health certificate boarding will be denied.

Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Tickets Offline Booking

Amarnath Yatra shrine Board has also kept the facility of Offline Helicopter tickets booking. Pilgrims can book their ticket from the tatkal counter of Helicopter operators at respective helipads. Due to heavy rush chances become less for starting dates that you get the tickets, but this option is open for you.

Both facilities of Helicopter tickets booking are very tough this is the reason Tour Packages are mostly sold by the travel agents and widely available online and offline. Now the question is how travel agents get the tickets? Then Answer is as per agreement between Amarnath Shrine Board and Helicopter Operators, Local tour operators of Jammu and Kashmir region are given priority with a fixed number of quota route wise each day.  We are the local tour operator of Kashmir, and we have an affixed quota. This is the reason we are able to sell the tour packages of Amarnath Yatra with Helicopter. If You are not a local tour operator or don’t buy a package from the local tour operator, then chances are more that you may not get the helicopter tickets as per the booking date due to shortage of supply. 

Due to shortage of supply only Helicopter tickets are not available in the market, some Travel agents / Tour Operators try to sell through black market on higher price, but we will suggest instead of buying tickets on higher price it’s better to go through our Amarnath yatra Helicopter packages.

Following are the Documents and details Required for Helicopter Tickets Booking

Name of Pilgrim:

Date of Birth:

Sex:

Permanent Address:

Contact Number:

Identification Card Number:

Pilgrims Actual Weight:

Original Medical Certificate- 

Photocopy of ID Proof

Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Seats availability

Amarnath Yatra has a limited number of helicopter seats available for Amarnath Yatra Pilgrimage. Approx seats availability is around 600- 800 per day from both the routes but passengers reach in Lakhs to have darshan of shri Amarnath. Govt has fixed 20000 pilgrims per day from both the routes 10000 each route. In 10000 pilgrims ‘most prefer to go by helicopter instead of trek. So having advance and confirmed tickets helps you to have shri Amarnath darshan in a comfortable way.

Amarnath Yatra 2023 Helicopter 

Amarnath Yatra 2023 Helicopter booking procedure has not started yet. It is assumed that shortly after the announcement of Amarnath Yatra Dates and Registration, it will be announced. It is assumed the Amarnath helicopter price of 2023 may increase by 10-20% from last year’s price. Last year price from Neelgrath route was fixed Rs 5600 and from Pahalgam route was Rs 8400 for up and down to Panchtarni. Check the above table about fares and booking procedure of Amarnath Yatra 2023 helicopter booking. 

Generally, we don’t provide only helicopter tickets due to shortage of tickets. We sell only tour packages with amarnath yatra 2023 helicopter tickets. But we can try for you to get the tickets for 2023 subject to availability on cost-to-cost Basis. If You have a query related to only Amarnath Yatra helicopter tickets and no packages, then please send your details through the below query form or click here . We will help you to get the helicopter tickets from both the route Neelgrath and Pahalgam.   If You want helicopter tickets with Packages and registration, then click Here.  If you want trekking packages and no helicopter, then Click Here.

Without Helicopter tickets Amarnath Yatra journey is not so easy. So, if you have money and want comfort then you must select helicopter mode of journey for the Amarnath Yatra. Since more than lakhs of passengers visit Amarnath yatra so it’s not possible to get helicopter tickets for each and every passenger even after paying the hefty amount. In short words you can say if you get helicopter tickets for amaranth yatra means you are very lucky and have the full blessing of lord Shiva’s on you. 

Some Main Point to Keep in Mind for Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Tickets

Do not expect timing of the tickets, expect whether you get the tickets for your desired date or not. 

Never make choices of time because it’s very difficult to fulfill that.

Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Frequently Asked Questions

Q1- What is the Procedure to Book Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Tickets?

Ans- Please read the above article to know the step-by-step procedure to book Amarnath yatra Helicopter tickets.

Q2- Where to book Amarnath Yatra Helicopter tickets?

Ans- You can book online and offline Amarnath helicopter tickets. Details have been given above. Govt authorizes the operator for booking of Helicopter tickets and for next year it is not announced yet. Once it is finalized you will find here. Till that that time you can place order online from here or offline by filling below query form.

Q3- What is the fare of Helicopter tickets for Amarnath Yatra?

Ans- check the above fare table to know the same.

Q4- When to book Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Tickets or Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Packages?

Ans- Since there is a shortage of supply so it’s better to book tickets and packages very well in advance or on the very first day when you start to plan for Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage.  Since we have most of the helicopter tickets available to sell with packages only so you can book Amarnath yatra helicopter packages well in advance. If you need only helicopter tickets, then place requests online or offline through below query form. 

Q 5- Who are the authorized Amarnath Tour Operators to sell the Helicopter tickets?

Ans- Generally helicopter operators and government finalizes the list of travel agents / tour operators who will be authorized to sell the Amarnath helicopter tickets with a particular no of quota. It changes every year or two years depending on the situation and satisfaction of the government and Helicopter Operators. Travel Agents / Tour Operators have to pay a lump sum amount to get the authorization of tickets sale. Since it’s a risky job to invest first and then get the authorization, most local travel agents don’t take too much interest in being the authorized agents of the helicopter operators. Authorized agent options are open for local travel agents and tour operators of Jammu and Kashmir only; outsiders are not allowed to become the same.

Alternatively you can check Frequently asked questions from here

If you find the above article suitable or not happy with the above article, then please leave the feedback from here.

You can also find the below post useful.

1. How to Plan a Trip for Amarnath Yatra?
2. How to book a Trip for Amarnath Yatra ?
3. Amarnath Yatra Packages
4. Documents Required & eligibility Criteria for Amarnath Yatra Pilgrimage
5. Terms & Conditions and Cancellation Policy
6. Amarnath Yatra Registration
7. Amarnath Yatra Helicopter
8. Amarnath Yatra Medical
9. Frequently Asked Questions
10. Travel Tips
11. Our Pilgrims Reviews.

Hope above things is okay to understand the details about Amarnath Yatra Helicopter Tickets, Its Prices, and availability from Baltal /Neelgrath  and Pahalgam  Route . If you have further query you can contact us through our WhatsApp cum Mobile – +91-96501-79-446 / +91-96501-79-451 or through our email booking@amarnathjiyatra.com.