Demand for choppers takes off

Mumbai: With the Lok Sabha elections not too far away and Assembly elections in five states lined up over the next 25 days, helicopter operators are seeing a rise in bookings.
SJS Saighal, chairman, Global Vectra Helicorp, says, “We have got bookings from political parties across the board. Three out of our 26 choppers will be used for the elections....”
A pilot says there are already 13 choppers currently flying around Bhopal — all on political rounds. Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh are scheduled for November 25.
Chopper rentals vary between Rs 70,000 and Rs 1,70,000 per hour, says Ritesh Kakkad, founder of Airnetz Aviation. Election flying nets some of these operators 15-25% more than their usual charges.
An official in a helicopter charter firm says those who book these flights early are often middlemen as political parties try to circumvent the Election Commission’s spending caps. “Some private choppers are also lent to politicians in exchange of favours,” the official adds.
Operators point out that politicians, once aboard the aircraft, often make unreasonable demands to land at places that are out of the flight path and compromise safety. Add the dusty environs typical of election rallies in India, and the life of the chopper engine can get reduced. These, they say, are the reasons for the premium that political flying
nets operators.
12/11/08 Nirmal John/Daily News & Analysis

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Oct 2008