Prime Minister Narendra Modi's frequent international trips may have given 'prospective global investors' a reason to arrive in India and fill up business cabs in commercial flights while they evaluate investment opportunities in the country.
Or else, how would one justify a sudden rush in private jet bookings by MNC firms, as has been witnessed by business aircraft operators who promote business and general aviation in India?
A charter flight is a commercial air transport service performed other than a scheduled air service. In 2015, private jet arrivals and departures increased 12% in the April to November period. According to government data records, the total number of charter flights reduced to 7,869 in 2015 when compared to 8,466 in 2014, according to a report by The Economic Times.
"There seems to be an increasing interest from global businesses propelled by various initiatives from the government, which could possibly explain increased movement of international charters lately. Also, many states have played host to international conclaves and forums, contributing to the overall success," Jayant Nadkarni, President of Business Aircraft Operations Association lobby group, was quoted as saying by The Economic Times.
Under the Modi government, India has witnessed an increase in international charter flights, leading to overall improvement of India's image in the aviation industry sector.
"We have seen a surge in MNC booking our planes to ferry their foreign executives visiting India. The charter plane demand inside India has also improved and the utilisation of planes has doubled," said Bhupesh Joshi, CEO of Club One Air, one of the largest air charter companies.
India is home to 146 charter flight operators, most of them are owned by companies, while the rest are owned by celebrities and industrialists. Some of them are: VRL logistics, Wings Aviation Pvt. Ltd, Taj Air ltd, Reliance Aviation ltd, Raymond ltd, L&T aviation ltd.
