Updated 22 September 2026
The flight leaves from the Serli helipad in Katra and lands at Sanjichhat, 9.5 km up the track. It saves most of the climb, but not all of it: the Bhawan is still about 2.5 km away, downhill on the way in and uphill on the way back.
Fare
The Shrine Board sets the fare by order, so it is one of the few prices here that comes from an official document rather than from the press.
| Ticket | Fare | Status |
|---|---|---|
| One way | ₹2,320 | Official order, valid to 15 October 2026 |
| Return | ₹4,640 | Official order, valid to 15 October 2026 |
| One way from 1 November 2026 | ₹2,700 | Reported in the press; no order seen |
The fare includes GST. Two operators fly the sector, Himalayan Heli Services and Global Vectra. What happens to the fare between 16 and 31 October 2026 is not clear from any source we could check.
When booking opens
Seats go on sale at online.maavaishnodevi.org and through the Shrine Board's own app. The window opens 60 days ahead and closes two days before the flight. A whole month's quota is released at 10:00 on the 1st of the month two months earlier — so the whole of May opens on 1 March.
Seats for popular dates go within minutes. Nothing sold outside that portal or the app is an official ticket.
At the helipad
Bring the RFID Yatra Access Card and the photo ID you booked with; both are checked before boarding. Names must match the booking. Flights stop in poor visibility, which in this valley can mean a clear morning turning into a cancelled afternoon.
The other paid ways up
- Battery car, Adhkuwari to the Bhawan on the new track. The Board describes it as being for elderly, sick and disabled pilgrims, subject to availability, and books it on the same portal. No official fare is published; third-party guides quote about ₹450 up and ₹300 down.
- Bhawan–Bhairon ropeway, 375 m, under three minutes against about an hour of steps. Runs 9:00 to 17:00. A return fare of ₹100 is widely quoted and was described as a subsidised rate when it opened; the Board does not publish it publicly.
- Ponies, palkis and pithus, at fixed rates posted on boards at Katra and Banganga.
The proposed Katra–Sanjichhat ropeway is not running. The project was announced in 2024, met protests and shutdowns in Katra, and was put on hold pending a committee. Treat any site selling tickets for it as fake.