Almost 10 years ago, as a journalist I was visiting an iron ore mine in Bellary district of Karnataka. From Bengaluru to Bellary the distance by road is about 300 km, but way back the national and the state highways were not as good as they are now. The average time taken by road then was about 8 hours due to poor road conditions. In those days, the iron ore sector was riding high, exporting to the world market. Some of the iron ore companies in Bellary were proud owners of private jets. MSPL was one of them and we few journalists were ferried to the remote location in Hospet in the company’s P-180 Avanti II. This was the first time that I travelled in a private jet and the experience was amazing as it offered – time-saving, comfort and ease of access to the remote location. It was a novelty then and the company ended up getting good reports from the journalists. Private jet travel, in a way, helped the company get positive reviews. Subsequently, many of the iron ore companies landed in trouble with stricter governmental controls and some of them had to sell their private jets to stay afloat.

Ten years down the line, the aviation scenario has changed considerably. While the scheduled operators are expanding their network, there are still many areas which they are not just able to cover for reasons of demand; infrastructure and aircraft types. This gap is getting filled partially by private jet operators and other modes of transportation.

Even though it may seem that private charters are for the rich and famous only, of late, several operators are offering packages, whether it is for religious tourism or for private travel, which are attractively priced. There are many reasons to fly by private jet charter, avoiding all the price fluctuations of commercial airlines and the rigmarole that is attached to it.

Remote connectivity

One of the distinct benefits of private jet travel is that unserved and even underserved destinations by airlines can be covered easily by private jets, particularly in India where there are over 400 airstrips. All that a private jet requires is a paved runway. In the US, there are over 5,000 airports that private planes can use as against the 500 airports for airlines, which means that in a private jet you can often land closer to your true destination. Many historical and religious places in India are in far-flung areas and they can be accessed by private aircraft, be it a jet or a helicopter with ease. For instance, the most popular destination is Agra and it does not have proper airline connectivity. The Kheria airport is under the Indian Air Force and there is a proposal to develop a greenfield international airport, but there is adequate demand for private air travel to Agra. Similarly, destinations such as Darjeeling, Ranthambore, Bandhavgarh, to name a few, lack airports and require long car rides to reach.

One of the distinct benefits of private jet travel is that unserved and even underserved destinations by airlines can be covered easily by private jets, particularly in India where there are over 400 airstrips

Unbeatable Convenience

The unique selling proposition of most air charter operators will be convenience of travel. At short notice, even as little as 10 hours, a private aircraft can be requisitioned by a customer to attend that important business meeting or a family emergency or any other contingency which no other mode of transport provides the speed. Unlike a commercial airliner where a passenger has to go through check-in and security formalities, with stipulated timelines, a private jet allows the convenience of hopping on to the aircraft almost anytime. Invariably there is no scanning of passenger bags at the private airports; no removal of shoes, belts, jackets, laptops, etc; no waiting in queue for business class to board first and so on. Sometimes airlines fly at odd hours which means one has to get up at odd hours and travel to the airport which can be completely avoided in private travel.

Speed

It goes without saying that flying is the fastest mode of transport currently. In case of a private jet, since it covers invariably short distances non-stop, it is the fastest, sometimes even beats airlines as they have to go through a series of formalities before take-off and prior to landing. In remote locations, the private jets have the runway all for themselves. The turnaround times of these jets are also amazing as the number of passengers are few and luggage is minimal, the crew can get the engines soaring at double quick time. Even if one opts to travel from a busy airport, private jets can depart from a small facility called a fixed based operator (FBO), which cuts out all the chaos of a commercial terminal. The only hitch here is that at busy airports the mainline airlines are given preference in terms of take-off, landing, parking bay, etc.

Unlike a commercial airliner where a passenger has to go through check-in and security formalities, with stipulated timelines, a private jet allows the convenience of hopping on to the aircraft almost anytime

Private and Confidential

One of the greatest advantages of private jet travel is that it remains ‘private’ which many celebrities, VIPs and others who have the money and clout would prefer. A celebrity can almost drive up to the jet in his or her limousine and hop on to the aircraft without even being noticed. Whereas in commercial flights, celebrities, even if they are travelling first or business class, will not have privacy and chances are that their moments in the air may be compromised.

Office in the sky

Commercial airlines, which have now vastly improved on in-flight entertainment, however, does not provide any facility wherein a team of officials may not be able to sit in conference. This is quite possible in a private jet due to seat configuration. On a private charter, passengers can conduct business – on a laptop or conference call – without worrying who is listening or watching or who is being disturbed.

Flexibility

Depending upon the number of passengers travelling and the distance, the customer has the flexibility to choose from the many aircraft available – it could be a very light jet; midsize jet or a large jet. The package of travel is also an option that one can choose – wherein surface transportation, accommodation and food are taken care of.

Luxury

No doubt, private jet travel is associated with luxury, it need not always be. As many corporate houses have private jets to ferry their executives, customers and other stakeholders to remote plants/offices to conduct business in a day and return. One can walk around the aircraft, change seats, take a nap if you will in the bedroom (some have that luxury) or just take a shower before disembarking, to be fresh for the meeting. Indeed, private jet travel provides for luxury with sleeping quarters, inflight catering and entertainment and on ground limousine services.

With all the above features falling in place, private jet travel indeed is relatively stress free (imagine going through long queues, security scan, frisking, etc). Private air travel is no doubt a far superior means of air travel, except, of course, there is a price tag to it. For those who value time, there are both tangible and intangible benefits. All one requires is money or one should be important enough to be flown in a private aircraft. And we see that in India that this breed is growing by the day.