Bhopal liquor baron charters 180-seater plane to fly three family members, help

By Ashoke Raj
New Delhi [India], May 28 : A Bhopal-based liquor baron booked an entire Airbus 320 plane to send his daughter and her children to Delhi on May 25 to ensure a safe journey for them amid the threat posed by coronavirus.
The high net worth individual booked the 180-seater aircraft to send his daughter to her in-laws house. His daughter, her two children and their maid were the only passengers in the plane.
"A chartered flight operated from Bhopal to Delhi on May 25 with four passengers," a Bhopal airport official told ANI
The daughter had come to her parent's house and could not return due to lockdown.
The domestic air operations partially resumed on May 25 after nearly two months of suspension due to lockdowns enforced to contain the spread of coronavirus. The country is in the fourth phase of lockdown which will continue till May 31.
An aviation expert said air turbine fuel (ATF) price is down and other airport charges are also less at present and there were queries for such chartered flights.
"An Airbus 320 180-seater flight between Bhopal and Delhi would normally cost around Rs 10-12 lakh but the price of ATF has fallen. The cost of the journey from Bhopal to Delhi in the chartered flight may have been less than Rs 10 lakh," the expert told ANI.
The Bhopal airport official said the chartered flight landed at Bhopal airport at around 10:40 am and took off at 11:30 am. "Only four passengers, a woman and her two children and a maid boarded the flight," he said.
Permission from the aviation regulator DGCA is required for the operation of a chartered flight. "The plane was booked by Bhiwandi-based Jaguar and Company," a DGCA official told ANI.