The Indian government has accelerated plans to privatize its investments in the aviation sector following a call, last week, for Expressions of Interest (EOI) in rotary-wing specialist Pawan Hans Helicopters (Delhi International).
According to a document published by the Indian Ministry of Civil Aviation, bidders interested in acquiring the government's 51% stake in Pawan Hans should submit proposals by December 8, 2017. Accompanying New Delhi's divestiture from the helicopter operator is a full transfer of managerial control. The remaining 49% of Pawan Hans is held by a majority state-owned entity, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Ltd.
Established in 1985, Pawan Hans is India's largest operator of rotary-wing aircraft. Its fleet currently consists of forty-six helicopters including eighteen Eurocopter SA365Ns, seventeen SA365N3s, three Bell Helicopter 407s, three Bell 206L4s, three Mil Helicopter Mi-172s, and two Eurocopter AS350B3s all of which are used for off-shore oil exploration operations as well as remote charter services.
