Here’s why private flights are taking off in India like never before

Few years ago, Captain Vinod flew to Punjab for an unusual assignment — he was ferrying a couple from their wedding venue on a helicopter. “This was the vidaai (a bride’s farewell from her paternal home) which would earlier happen in a doli (palanquin) and then came cars. Now, people are hiring private jets and copters for the ceremony,” says the 59-year-old Indian Army veteran who has been a commercial helicopter pilot with Bengaluru-based non-scheduled air transport service operator Deccan Charters Private Limited for 17 years.

Having flown more than eight types of helicopters in commercial transport operations, this is not the only joy ride that Vinod stands witness to. “Once, a gentleman chartered an aircraft for 30 minutes to propose to his girlfriend. Of course he assured me of a positive reply from his lady; I didn’t want anyone jumping off mid-air,” he laughs, reminiscing some of the wackiest flights he has piloted so far.

The business of private, or non-scheduled, air transport has caught the fancy of India’s ultra rich for reasons that oscillate between exclusivity and time-saving travel, but the industry started blooming only post lockdown. A glance at DGCA (Directorate-General of Civil Aviation)’s website offers data that hints at an unparalleled surge in the number of AOPs (Air Operator Permits) issued over the past four years. Here is a lowdown on the decades that went by: eight AOPs were issued from 1990 to 1999, 28 from 2000 to 2009, 39 from 2010 to 2019, and 39 from 2020 to June 2024. There are 114 non-scheduled operators across India on DGCA’s list as on June 10, 2024. This means that AOPs for 36% of India’s non-scheduled operators were issued in the last four years.

Sachit Wadhwa, co-founder and COO of BookMyCharters, a company that serves as a chartered-flight aggregator, says, before the COVID pandemic, the industry had regular, frequent customers, who would choose charters, comprising primarily owners of corporate houses, politicians and Bollywood celebrities, but one observed an influx of a new set of clients post that.

“These were professionals at the peak of their career — from CEOs to doctors and lawyers. Most people opted for chartered flights during the lockdown when commercial, scheduled flights had been terminated. Connectivity, timeliness and exclusivity, I think, are the main propellers of the private air transport services industry,” he says. Sachit claims that his company, operational since 2015, was the first to offer an instant charter booking platform where one could do an end-to-end transaction and lock their charter by paying a certain amount. “We did that because there was not much awareness around charter space at the time. We created a discovery platform where anyone could look up the cost, the difference between a turboprop and a mid-sized aircraft, or between a B200 and a G200, and then decidewhether the budget etc. allowed them to choose from a diverse fleet of charters,” he adds.

Of the many trends that have mushroomed around the chartered-flight industry, Sachit recounts one that will fascinate animal lovers. “Wedding charters are picking up, undeniably, in Tier-1 and 2 cities because they offer better connectivity, say, in the case of cities like Jaisalmer. It comes with destination weddings becoming a fad too. But in the recent past, we flew families with their pets overseas. I reckon many public air transport services allow pets of a certain weight on board. But, when it comes to pets like golden retrievers or a Labradors, it’s the chartered flights that people go for,” he shares.

While the cost of flying in a private plane can cost between ₹1 lakh and ₹8 lakh per hour, Sachit shares it depends on the aircraft one chooses, distance of the destination, and time taken to reach it. “If you want a one or one-and-a-half-hour trip, where cost is a concern, you want to reach fast and you don’t need too many amenities, I would recommend one of our light jets, Cessna CJ2. If you’re looking at a two-to-four-hour trip, you’d need a lavatory and cabin crew to serve meals, I would recommend one of our mid-sized aircraft. We also have aircraft that can fly non-stop to London. There are diversified options depending on the need, distance and travel time. In fact, for three-four years, we have been aggressively rooting for international chartered flights,” he adds.

Though a helicopter may cost tad less than jets, nearly all non-scheduled air transport services were booked during election season, shares Vinod. “Even though every State Government has its own fleet of private jets and helicopters, all of them are locked during elections. This is when most politicians book private jets and copters, sometimes as early as six months before elections,” he informs.

According to Statista, a German online platform that specialises in data gathering and visualisation, the global business jet market was worth over $24 billion in 2020. By 2028, this market is projected to reach $37 billion.

Raaghav Belavadi, founder-CEO of aggregator Hype Luxury (started in 2017, but ventured into the business of chartered flights two years ago), could not agree more. “Earlier, we would get five-six quotes a month. But, by the end of 2022 and beginning of 2023, we started getting 100 quotes a month in India. The profit margin can vary from 1%-10% depending on the sector. While India is growing at a CAGR (Compound annual growth rate) of 3-4%, globally, it is expected to be 10% by 2035,” he says. Operational in 23 cities in India and seven countries including the UK, US, UAE and Europe, Hype Luxury claims to have over 20,000 private jets and 1,800 helicopters. “In India, we have about 120 aircraft and 10 helicopters. We have tied up with six non-scheduled travel operators in India,” he says. 

While Raaghav lists Maldives, Delhi and Mumbai as the top routes for chartered flights in India, Sachit divides private jet travellers in two categories — business and leisure. “Those flying for business usually go from Mumbai to Delhi and vice versa. But, for leisure, we take maximum flights to Goa and now Kerala,” he shares.

It is not just fun and work. During the pandemic, non-scheduled aircraft shouldered the task of flying vaccines and organs for transplants across India, says Vinod. He calls this part of his job “the most satisfying”.

Private flights can also be quick to respond in emergency situations. On a phone call from Raipur, where he is stationed for flying BSF helicopters, Vinod recalls flying the Hemkund Sahib shuttles between Govindghat and Ghangaria in the Uttarakhand Hills. “About a year-and-a-half ago, I flew my AS350 to rescue five tourists stranded in the high mountains. The three men and two ladies had spent the night in freezing weather at 16,000 feet.”