Often, the party in power travels in twin-engine choppers and the opposition in single-engine: Pune chopper providers reveal poll season demand trends

Seolkar revealed that during the election period, the hourly charges to hire the helicopter range from Rs 1,50,000 to Rs 2,00,000 for a single-engine helicopter and Rs 3,50,000 for a twin-engine one.

Similarly, Ishwarchandra A G, Director of Kagiu Aviation in Pune also admitted that they have observed a surge in demand for helicopters this election season. The third-party agents have a fleet of 17 helicopters and 62 private jets, with every helicopter currently engaged in election-related tasks.

“All our choppers have been flying busy since March 1 and will remain so till the conclusion of the elections. During these months they won’t be accessible for other public services like joy rides, aerial flower scattering, or air ambulance assistance,” he said.

Kagiu charges between Rs 1.20 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh for single-engine helicopters and between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 7 lakh for twin-engine helicopters per hour. Ishwarchandra added that there are over 200 helicopters across India currently, there is a shortage of helicopters for the political parties. “Bookings of twin-engine began last December,” he said.

Based on the agency and authority that operates the choppers, they are categorized into three types: Non-Scheduled Operator Permit (NSOP), Private Choppers, and Government-owned Choppers. Citing the official data, Seolekar said that there are a total of 231 helicopters in India, of which 176 are NSOP, often called taxi choppers, 37 private choppers, and 19 government-owned choppers. “Only NSOP choppers can be utilized for commercial purposes such as election campaigns, flower dropping, tourism, joy riding, and corporate travel for which they require a permit from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Currently, in Pune, only 6 NSOPs are operating, of which two are twin-engine and four are single-engine choppers,” said the chairman of Oxford Aviation.

He added that transparent financial transactions and adherence to campaign finance laws set by the Election Commission of India (ECI) are very important. Details of all flights booked by politicians in election time have to be provided to the ECI.

“Twin-engine choppers are in more demand due to safety reasons. Often, the party in power travels in twin-engine and the opposition in single-engine,” added Ishwarchandra. Regarding regulatory compliance, Seolekar disagreed with the prohibition on cabinet ministers to fly in single-engine helicopters for safety reasons. I do not agree with this as I believe that both engines need high maintenance. However, the double-engine helicopter is steadier compared to the single one,” he said.

Challenges:

The primary challenge in this business is the limited space for helipads, “There are only two to three helipads in Pune. During the election, if helipads are unavailable, then the chopper will follow the ‘Land, Drop and Go’ procedure or obtain a one-day permit from the administration,” Seolekar said.

Ishwarchandra said that the helicopter business has multiple regulatory complexities and for the election campaigning, temporary lands are prepared with the district collector’s permit or the magistrate or the commissioner of police.

Seolekar is of the opinion that permitting corporations to land and park helicopters could enhance the industry. “Pune significantly contributes to the market share, and many industrialists hire choppers to visit their facilities in places such as Indapur and Solapur,” Seolekar said adding that added there is also a lack of training centres for pilots in India, affecting service quality. “Trained pilots for specific helicopter models cannot transition to others. Pilots undergo a two-month training abroad due to the absence of local training centres,” he said.

Neither Seolekar nor Ishwarchandra wanted to reveal the names of parties or politicians booking their choppers this season, fearing they may object to it, impacting their business. They said though that almost all the parties have approached them.

Anil Seolekar’s two choppers and the chopper service are handled by the agents. Pilots are provided within the package by both Seolekar and Kagiu. “ Everybody provides pilots along the helicopters. It’s like booking a cab,” said Seolekar.