Gujarat polls: Demand for charter flights soar as campaigning picks up

With campaigning picking up in Gujarat ahead of polling in the first week of December, demand for chartered flights are on the up in the state.

Politicians are trying their best to make their presence known and their tight schedules are pushing up demand for charter aircraft and helicopters.

At least 50% of the demand for charters is driven by political entities, reported the Times of India quoting industry players.


Many politicians were seen as having a preference to arrive by charter jets and use helicopters to fly within the state instead of flying scheduled flights like in the past years.

With many political heavyweights from BJP, Congress and AAP now starting to campaign in battleground Gujarat, the number of charter flights is also expected to increase accordingly.

At least 400 chartered aircraft and helicopters flew as non-scheduled commercial flights from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) airport in the first fortnight of November, the TOI report said quoting sources.

This number has risen by a third, from 600-odd in all of October, it added.

“Last month, the Defence Expo coupled with corporate events drove chartered flight movements. This month, the majority of charters are for political leaders. A chartered aircraft is hired for at least five days a week by leaders for a minimum of four hours,” said

A senior official of an aviation firm based in Ahmedabad said, "A chartered aircraft is hired for at least five days a week by leaders for a minimum of four hours."

Several parties booked charters from Delhi or Mumbai. A source privy to the developments said, “Parties such as the Congress, BJP and AAP collectively have four or five aircraft on standby, for use as and when needed for travel to Gujarat for campaigning.”.

The report inferred that if a party holds a charter aircraft even for a day, the costs incurred range between Rs 15 lakh to Rs 30 lakh.

The sudden rise in demand for chartered jets and helicopters in the past two years has caused aviation leasing companies to look for new aircraft, as their inventory gets fully booked.

An official of an aviation firm said, "With such high demand, the inventory shortage which prevails globally is affecting local players too. We are thus looking to expand our fleet. Even if we order now, the aircraft will be delivered in a year or two."