Demand for choppers takes off

With the election season setting in, helicopter operators have already started getting bookings from political parties

MUMBAI: What does one need to win an election? A good view from the skies, it might seem.

Murli Deora, the Union minister for petroleum and natural gas certainly believes so. “The modern day politician cannot do without helicopters which are crucial in covering maximum area, meeting the maximum number of people, in the minimum amount of time,” he says.

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. The money which we get is higher than normal as there is higher usage.”

Traditionally, election time has always meant bonanza for chopper operators, what with politicians whirring from one corner of the country to another on the campaign trail. 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. “The price is determined by the number of seats and the type of the chopper used,” he adds. Election flying nets some of these operators 15-25% more than their usual charges.

But, while all this ends up as a lucrative political affair for the chopper operators, there are several problems with election flying.

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.

Some operators, on condition of anonymity, say political parties often delay payment. Because of this, this time around, operators are insisting on advance payment. Further, to flush out the use of black money, operators are insisting on cheque payments as per the Election Commission guidelines.

The rough and tumble of politics also has its effect on the helicopter’s machinery. Deep pockets and ambitious election budgets mean higher usage, which some operators peg at 90 hours a week against the usual 30-hour a week schedules. 

There are other issues too, including those of safety. United Helicharters managing director, Uday Gelli, said, “A big problem is that you have to operate in rough conditions and in remote areas.”

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.

These are also some reasons why some chopper operators would rather focus on their core business and forgo the election revenues.

Siddharth Prakash Verma, executive director, Heligo Charters, says, “We do only offshore flying and that is our focus area. We would go election flying only if we have spare choppers. Further, there are operational difficulties like flying to places where refuelling is a problem.”

All said, the lure of the extra buck means most operators are looking forward to the largest democratic exercise in the world.
n_john@dnaindia.net