Dassault Falcon 2000 EX
Rates per hour, in ₹ lakh
Helicopters (dual engine)
Sometime in August last year, a Cessna Citation Excel, a midsize business jet, landed in Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh. The aircraft stayed put for several weeks before it was first used. A politician had hired it from a private jet operator in Delhi to fly him around the state—Madhya Pradesh was due for legislative assembly elections in November. The politician had a tight campaign schedule and didn’t want to take a chance with last-minute jet bookings.
Another private operator rented out three more such jets, as political campaigns picked up pace in October.
“One evening, early October, the three private jets lined up to depart from Delhi. They were all headed to Bhopal,” the operator, who didn’t want to be identified, said. “The number of aircraft used in any election is an indicator of how fiercely contested the polls are,” the operator added.
In December, when the results were announced, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a two-thirds majority in the state.
The demand for business jets during the Madhya Pradesh election last year was just a trailer. Charter negotiations by political parties and politicians in anticipation of the 18th Lok Sabha elections began in December, about four months ahead of the polls. It will be held in seven phases between 19 April and 1 June. The results will be announced on 4 June.
“The negotiations started around December and through January and February, most of the bookings were finalized,” said a person aware of the discussions. He didn’t want to be identified either.
The country has a total of about 130 Indiaregistered aircraft and a similar number of helicopters. Top business jet operators who rent include VSR Ventures, Air Charter Services and Reliance Transport & Travels.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Indian aviation’s regulatory body, currently does not allow election-related flying using foreign-registered aircraft. The demand is such that most business jets have now been mopped up by political parties. For private companies wanting to rent a jet for their executives to use, it is quite a struggle.
While corporates and individuals can use foreign-registered aircraft to fly within and outside India, the usage has several restrictions, particularly when it involves a military airfield. The charter company needs special permissions, not just for the aircraft but also the flight crew.
A corporate house with presence in Gujarat and Rajasthan attempted to book two Dassault Falcon business jets and three helicopters for a trip it was planning at the end of May to their facilities. The company failed to secure any aircraft, a private operator who didn’t want to be identified, said.
He added that operators are not in a position to take advance bookings now since
Helicopters (single engine)