Jharkhand shopping for aircraft

Jamshedpur: The state is expanding its aviation fleet to ferry its VIPs. After a Dhruv, the Jharkhand government wants to own a chopper and an aircraft.
The civil aviation department has decided to float a global tender for acquiring the chopper and the aircraft. While the fixed-wing aircraft will be a 2+9-seater, the chopper will be a 2+5-seater. The Dhruv — used for police operations and to transport VIPs — can seat 12.
The state government wants to procure these two aircraft to bring down the cost of transporting VIPs. The aircraft would be faster and economical, said sources, while the chopper will grant them access to places without airstrips or airports.
Sources in the aviation department said an hour’s trip for VIPs costs the state about Rs 1 lakh. As the state hires aircraft, it also has to pay for the fuel to bring the aircraft from its parking zone to the spot where the VIP is in the state. With own aircraft, said officials, such expenses would be reduced.
Once the tenders are floated, Indian and foreign companies will be invited to quote prices. This could be bad news to about 15 agencies, who lease out aircraft to Jharkhand’s guests.
27/05/08 Saswati Mukherjee/The Telegraph

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General May 2008