Indian tycoons and upper-middle class families fleeing COVID crisis on private jets, claims JetSetGo CEO
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Besides Indian tycoons and Bollywood celebrities fleeing India on private jets, the upper-middle class families are also pooling their resources to make an escape, claims JetSetGo CEO Kanika Tekriwal.
India recorded more than 4.14 lakh new positive COVID-19 case with over 3,900 fatalities on May 6. The country has so far recorded a total of 2,14,85,285 cases and 2,34,071 deaths as of data updated at 12.24am on May 7. Experts have highlighted that India’s test positivity rate is about 21.5%, which is approximately one in five persons tested are positive.
COVID-19 resurgence in India: Those who can afford are leaving on commercial flights, private jets
Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor at Mumbai airport
As the number of COVID cases go up, many are leaving the country. And it is not just the ultra rich and stars from Bollywood who are making a beeline to the airports in the country. JetSetGo, a private jet charter firm, has seen a 90 percent surge in bookings in recent weeks with around 80 percent comprising of people from the upper classes. Majority of them are headed to Maldives or Dubai, Kanika Tekriwal, co founder and CEO was quoted as saying in
Jet-set getaways: Super rich Indians charter jets to destinations like Turkey, Bali & Sri Lanka
Most operators had already received bookings for the summer, and they say a lot of requests are now coming in for the June-August period.
Synopsis
A report said around 43% of wealthy individuals are likely to use private jets for travel this year.
Several countries have suspended tourism originating from India. However, private jets and charter companies are still reporting a surge. One report said around 43 per cent of ultra-high-net-worth individuals are likely to use private jets for travel this year.
“Most bookings were done early. People are keen to ensure their family’s health, and are avoiding public contact and crowds,” says Jeril Abraham, head of operations, Airborne Private
Representative image
NEW DELHI: The scramble to reach the United Arab Emirates (UAE) before the Saturday-Sunday midnight deadline saw most flights from India headed there going near full on Friday and fares have skyrocketed. The tickets for the Delhi-Dubai one-way flights for Saturday were between Rs 46,000 and Rs 1,08,000 against the usual Rs 8,000-10,000.
Both UAE and Indian carriers fly between several cities here and four there Dubai (the biggest international destination for Indians), Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah.
“People eligible to go with a RT-PCR test done from recognised labs within last 48 hours and a negative report are booking flights to beat the deadline. The fear is that the 10-day ban on entry of travellers from India from April 25 to May 4 may be extended,” said an airline official. The Abu Dhabi-based Etihad has already said this period “may be extended”.