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There is faster turnaround of business jets and chartered planes here

September 20, 2021, marked a redletter day for general aviation (GA) in India. That is when India’s first General Aviation Terminal (GAT) was inaugurated at Delhi, catering exclusively to private jets and chartered flights from IGI Airport.

This had been a long-standing demand of this community and will pave the way for growth of this sector. Often seen as a rich man’s playground, business aviation with its shiny jets, exclusive airport lounges and plush plane interiors was often ignored in place of commercial aviation. No longer.

The GA terminal was built to cater to 150 private jet movements daily and 50 passengers hourly and built at a cost of Rs 150 crore. It is a joint venture between Bird Group and Execujet Aviation Group. And with Covid-19 hitting the country, people prefer the safety and hygiene of private jets than risk the crowds of commercial jets. Also, with air ambulances being used to the hilt to cater to patients, business has gone up.

According to Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO-DIAL, dedicated general aviation terminals are available at all large and busy airports in the world. Delhi Airport’s general aviation terminal is the first of its kind in the country. It provides world-class experience to flyers with a dedicated terminal, passenger processing areas and airside access to travellers. “The terminal has helped us to reduce the transit time between city side and the aircraft from 45 minutes to 5 minutes for the passengers. The GA terminal has been witnessing a steady rise in passenger numbers. It has increased from 1,000 per month in September 2020, when it was inaugurated, to 3,600 passengers per month,” said Jaipuriar.

In addition, from 24 air traffic movements (ATMS) in September 2020, the number increased to around 30 per day during June 2021, said Jaipuriar. During the month of June 2021, GAT terminal handled around 120 ATMS of medical flights.

At the GA terminal, there is faster turnaround of business jets and chartered planes as they no longer have to compete for taxiing slots with commercial flights. There is space and solitude and a range of facilities like spacious passenger lounges, retail and F&B sections, 24x7 personal concierge services, common processing area with customs and immigration and immediate access to the private jet. The personalised experience given to the rich passengers makes all the difference.

This one-of-its-kind project by GMR Airports is an amalgamation of culture, technology and contemporary vision. The apron area itself is spread over 8 lakh sqft with 57 dedicated bays for parking of private/ga planes.

In addition, the airport has two Fixed Based Operators (FBOS) and Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) operators to cater to GA flights. They take care of all the requirements of passengers travelling by private/chartered flights and provide maintenance for the planes.

While terminals exclusively for general aviation are a relatively new phenomenon in India, they have been around in countries abroad. In the US, some private jet airports offer many amenities and services and some of the top such terminals include: Teterboro Airport (for New York City area), John Wayne Airport (35 miles south of Los Angeles), Dallas Fort Worth Airport,

The terminal has reduced transit time between city side and aircraft from 45 minutes to five. Passenger numbers have increased to 3,600 now

Metropolitan Oakland International Airport (for San Francisco), etc. In the UK, top FBOS include Fayair, Harrods Aviation at London Stansted and Universal Aviation.

But how does the opening of one GAT in India compare to general aviation terminals in the US and other places abroad? According to Jaipuriar, with modern architecture, the new GA terminal offers worldclass facilities and services to the flyers and is at par with some of the leading FBO facilities globally.