The sudden and widespread cancellation of flights by India's largest airline, IndiGo, has triggered a chaotic scramble for private charter jets, highlighting a severe capacity crunch during the peak travel and wedding season. The crisis was starkly illustrated on Saturday when an Embraer E175LR private jet was urgently dispatched to Guwahati to rescue 36 children of top corporate executives stranded in Kaziranga after their IndiGo flights were axed.
Unprecedented Demand for Charter Flights
Aviation charter companies across the country report an unprecedented spike in demand, driven almost entirely by disrupted travel plans for destination weddings and year-end vacations. Gautam Sahni of Noida-based Subha Aviation described the situation as "unprecedented," noting that the surge is fueled by wedding groups and smaller parties of 50-180 people whose scheduled flights were cancelled with little notice.
"Look for 50-seater airline jets and you will find that nothing is available in the market today because, ultimately, you have to take aircraft away from a scheduled carrier's flow," Sahni explained. He added that typical movements included routes to popular wedding destinations like Delhi-Udaipur, Jaipur, and Jodhpur, apart from Hyderabad and Chennai.
Operators Overwhelmed by Enquiries
The ripple effect has left charter operators inundated. Mandar Bharde of Mumbai-based MAB Aviation stated that the past four days have brought a flood of enquiries, primarily for destination weddings in Jaipur and Udaipur and year-end travel. "December is peak vacation season and all charter flights are full," Bharde said, noting that while Mumbai has about 8-10 charter aircraft and Delhi has about 20, most were already booked before the IndiGo disruptions worsened the shortage.
Rahul Muchhal of Accretion Aviation reported receiving a staggering 200-250 calls daily over the past three days, mostly for routes like Delhi-Goa, Delhi-Udaipur, and Mumbai-Delhi. "But today, nothing is available," he revealed, adding that actual bookings were mainly from corporate houses needing to move people urgently. In one extreme case, an eight-seater aircraft had to be flown empty from Delhi to Kolkata to pick up a stranded wedding party.
Soaring Costs of Last-Minute Charters
The sudden demand has naturally led to premium pricing. The cost of chartering an aircraft varies significantly based on its size and type. For instance, a 30-seater charter from Delhi to Udaipur was quoted at approximately Rs 17.6 lakh plus taxes, reaching nearly Rs 20 lakh all-inclusive. Smaller aircraft are also commanding high fees; a 7-seater King Air B200 for a Delhi-Vadodara round trip costs around Rs 11 lakh.
For larger, more luxurious options, a 13-seater Embraer Legacy aircraft can cost Rs 20 lakh to charter, including 18% GST, while a 7-seater Bombardier Learjet goes for Rs 18-19 lakh. These exorbitant costs underscore the desperation and financial capability of those affected by the mass flight cancellations, turning private charters from a luxury into a necessary contingency for many.
The situation remains fluid, with operators warning that availability is virtually nil, painting a stark picture of the vulnerabilities in India's aviation infrastructure during peak demand periods.
