Charter biz gets Christmas boost as flyers prioritise safety and hygiene

While chartered flights were earlier being used for business and repatriating of stranded Indians and foreigners, the leisure segment picked up with the opening up of tourist destinations

Airlines and non-scheduled operators have seen a pick up in demand for chartered flights as Indians rush to holiday destinations for the Christmas and New Year break. Customer preference for safety and hygiene due to Covid-19 pandemic has also pushed up the demand for charters and created a new set of clientele for companies.

“All our eight planes are booked this week and flying to Dubai, Maldives, Goa and other destinations. The demand is encouraging,” said Rajan Mehra, chief executive officer of Club One Air.

Non-scheduled or charter operations too resumed in May after two months of lockdown. While chartered flights were being used for business and repatriation of stranded Indian and foreign citizens in the initial months, the leisure segment picked up with with the gradual unlocking and opening up of tourist destinations in India and abroad. Goa airport has handled 50 charter movements since the beginning of the month and is expected to receive more private jets during the Christmas week.

 

"While there is a steady rise in demand for travel to leisure destinations, we are witnessing healthy demand for charter flights as well. We plan to operate charter flights to destinations like Hong Kong, Male (Maldives) and Moscow (Russia), and continue to explore more such opportunities to serve our customers," a Vistara spokesperson said. IndiGo which is operating scheduled flights from four Indian cities to Maldives too is seeing high demand for charters to the island nation.

A charter flight can cost a customer Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 3.5-4 lakh an hour depending upon the type of aircraft. "The charter industry has got a solid lift following the pandemic. Infact the business has been better than expectation. We flew several families which have temporarily shifted to Goa. Also we are offering charter flights for pregnant women who wish to travel to native place for delivery of their child," said Mandar Bharde, managing director of MAB Aviation Private Limited.

KEY POINTS 

• Goa airport has handled 50 charter flights since start of month. More expected by year end
• IndiGo and Vistara operating charters to Maldives
• A charter flight can cost Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 4 lakh depending upon type of aircraft