High-flying campaigners to give Rs 100 cr biz to private operators

New Delhi: Slowdown may have hit the aviation sector as a whole, but fortunes of a lucky few are just about to take off. Helicopter operators and companies chartering out small aircraft are in for a Rs 100-crore poll bonanza as politicians cutting across parties look to the skies in their quest to criss-cross the country during the 45-odd days in April-May when India dons the election gear.
Their wings are in great demand not only from major national parties like the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party but also from small players like the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) of Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan. An ideal travel mode, the air carriers help politicians cover maximum distance and connect with maximum number of voters in minimum time.
Besides, it’s the preferred mode of travel for their star campaigners because of security threat perceptions.
Political parties may cumulatively hire as many as 60 choppers and small aircraft on any given day during the month-long campaigning. While BJP and the Congress are expected to have at least 15 choppers each doing the rounds everyday, the Samajwadi Party may hire at least six to ferry its star campaigners.
The Bahujan Samaj Party will not be too far behind, with at least 2-3 helicopters/small aircraft on the stand-by to take party supremo and UP chief minister Mayawati and others across the heartland and newer pockets of support.
Other players like TDP, Shiv Sena, DMK, ADMK, RJD, JD(U), NCP, Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi’s Prajarajyam Party and LJP, will contribute their bit to the aviation business, hiring 1-2 helicopters for each day of campaigning.
The cost of an aircraft ranges between 1.10 lakh to 1.50 lakh per hour, and political parties, on an average, log three hours of flying time on any given day. So hiring a chopper will cost nearly Rs 4 lakh on an average, working out to a Rs 2.40-crore daily turnover for the aviation business.
The multi-phased polls will ensure that each chopper is engaged in campaigning for a minimum of 45 days, bringing in more than Rs 100 crore to the sector.
19/02/09 Bharti Jain/Economic Times

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Feb 2009