Chopper shortage hits leaders this poll season

CHANDIGARH: Any politician worth his salt will swear by this classic entry at rallies —deafen the audience with the clattering, raise the dust to set them all coughing and set the stage for a star’s welcome. But though the political battleground is crowded, the airspace overhead is suffering a serious shortage of flying machines to ferry politicians around, now that general elections have arrived in earnest.

Leading political parties like BJP, Congress, BSP and other regional outfits tied up with chartered aviation companies much before elections were announced. Most opted to hire standby helicopters to meet campaigning needs and tackle breakdowns.

"This has left few helicopters free for others. No machines are available for hiring at present," said CEO of Flying Birds Aviation, Ashish Kumar. "We get daily demands but bookings had commenced in December 2013." Choice of chartered aircraft company may have united Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and BSP leader Mayawati but paucity has led them to part ways again. Even party stars are using standby helicopters as the demand soars in the peak of campaign season. "The demand for helicopters is unprecedented and has surpassed the business projections made by the company," maintains an executive of another charter aviation company.