On the perfect full moon night, couples headed to the sky in private jets to bring in the New Year

Love is in the air

On the perfect full moon night, couples headed to the sky in private jets to bring in the New Year

It's going to be a Happy New Year for air charter services operators this year. With the moolah to spend and the cloud of financial crisis that hit the country last year having passed, high society party animals and the super rich are now gifting their families and loved ones the chance to usher in the New Year in a special manner u2014 in a chartered plane above the city.

Arjun Baffna, vice president of Mumbai-based Baffna Aviation, confirmed the trend stating that he had received several requests from people to fly at midnight hour on December 31.

"While some didn't return calls because hiring a plane is an expensive affair, one client actually booked a 7-seater plane for his family. The flight is booked for one-and-half-hour. At the stroke of midnight, the client would be above the city's skyline watching the fireworks go off," he said.

Though he refused to divulge the charges for this flight, he said that usually the same flight costs about
Rs 1.40 lakh on an hourly basis.

Mile high club
Not to be left behind, Pune is also witnessing a similar trend this year. Though requests for the expensive charter flights have not come in, but people here have booked the relatively 'cheaper' option of booking a helicopter ride for their families.

"We got requests from people who wanted to fly in helicopters during midnight, but we had to refuse them as choppers can only fly in daylight. Subsequently, a lot of people booked joyrides with us, where we can take a couple over the city in a helicopter for a one-hour fun ride," said Anil Umath, owner of EON Aviation based in Yerawada.

Nikesh Goswami of Leo Air Charter Services that operates from Mumbai and Pune said that the enthusiasm is also increasing among the upper-middle class crowd.

"We have received a lot of requests, but have received very few confirmations. The reason is the cost, as not everyone who calls is able to afford it. Even upper middle class people have been enquiring."

The fare for the joyride is approximately Rs 40,000 for 30 minutes according to Umath. However the rates are higher on special days like the year end.