NEW DELHI: The ministry of civil aviation on Sunday announced the immediate suspension of Aryan Aviation’s operations for the Char Dham Yatra following a helicopter crash near Guptkashi that killed all seven people onboard, including the pilot. The licences of two helicopter pilots have also been suspended for six months. The tragic incident, involving a private chopper returning from Kedarnath, prompted the Uttarakhand government to suspend all helicopter services on the Char Dham Yatra route for two days. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami convened an emergency meeting and ordered a high-level probe into the crash. “Protecting lives is the government’s top priority. Any negligence will be strictly punished,” said Dhami, directing officials to formulate a strict SOP for heli operations and set up a command and coordination centre in Dehradun for safer oversight. Officials from DGCA, UCADA, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), and private heli operators will be part of the new coordination centre. Dhami also called for immediate installation of advanced weather forecasting systems in the Himalayan region and insisted that only experienced pilots be allowed to fly in these high-altitude areas. The Sunday crash marks the fifth helicopter accident along the Char Dham route since the pilgrimage began on April 30, raising serious concerns about flight safety in the region.