‘Get Me Out’: Wealthy Flee India’s Covid Crises By Any Means
Ollie Williams08:19am EDT
Apr 27, 2021,|11,511 views
Wealthy Indians are chartering helicopters to escape the worsening Covid-19 pandemic in their ... [+]
"Get me out," were the three words messaged to Charles Robinson. Their author was one of many wealthy Indians attempting to flee the country's worsening Covid-19 pandemic by any means.
"This gentleman didn’t mind where to or how and even requested we look into helicopter options to shuttle him across the border where he could then transit through and head elsewhere," says Robinson, the founder of private jet charter company Just Jet.
As India reported a record number of Covid-19 cases over the weekend, those with enough money are rushing to charter jets or helicopters to fly them out of the country.
Many don't mind where they end up, as long as it is somewhere with good healthcare, and preferably a decent vaccination program. At home, hospitals are running out of oxygen to treat Covid-19 patients and vaccine stocks are dangerously low.
But a growing list of countries are now closing their borders to Indians, meaning travel for even the richest Indians is highly restricted.
Robinson was able to find a jet to fly his client to Abu Dhabi, just before the UAE suspended all incoming flights from India on Sunday (25 April).
There was a similar rush to London before the U.K. added India to its ‘Red List', meaning any new arrivals would have to quarantine in a government-approved hotel for ten days.
Pakistan has also closed its border with India. The country is witnessing a rising number of Covid-19 cases, and doctors fear a crisis similar to India's as ventilator and oxygen supplies run low.
Not Just The Ultra Rich
"It's not only the ultra rich. Whoever can afford to take a private jet are taking private jets," Rajan Mehra, CEO of New Delhi-based Club One Air, told Bloomberg.
Given the extortionate cost of flying private (a one-way flight from Delhi to Abu Dhabi can cost as much as $20,000), many of the not-quite-so-wealthy Indians are flying to the nearest country that will take them.
Some are transiting through or finding refuge in the Maldives, the island nation off India's south coast. WingX, which collects data on private aviation, says private jet connections to and from the Maldives are up 360% this year.
Not only is the Maldives an idyllic holiday destination, but the country says it will soon offer Covid-19 vaccines to anyone going there on holiday, just as soon as it has finished vaccinating its own population.
However, this is unlikely to be widely available to all Indians: As of Tuesday (27 April), the Maldives Ministry of Tourism suspended Indian tourists from staying at "hotels and guest houses in inhabited islands."
This means that only the Maldives' most expensive resorts on standalone or private islands will be available to fleeing Indians.
Private Jet Travel Takes Off
The scramble to private jets in the face of rising Covid-19 cases and travel restrictions is nothing new though.
As parts of Europe entered their first lockdown in March last year, many travelers or expats cut short their sojourns and chartered jets home.
Repatriation flights prevented the private aviation sector from following the fate of its commercial cousin. Charter firms, such as Air Charter Service, launched special 24-hour inquiries lines to assist travelers looking to urgently return home.
Now many are flying private simply to avoid congested commercial routes. Private jet charter companies now deep-clean their aircraft between trips and regularly test pilots and cabin crew for Covid-19.
Today the private aviation sector is 18% busier than this time last year, while scheduled airlines are down 29% according to WingX.
Nor are things in private aviation likely to quieten down any time soon, says Robinson: "Hopefully India will be back on track soon and the nationals who have fled for safety can return home."
Rich Indians Flee by Private Jet as Virus Infections Spiral
Anurag KotokyApril 26, 2021, 10:41 AM EDT
India’s mounting crisis surrounding a surge in coronavirus infections is prompting wealthy families to flee the country by private jet.
With reports of hospital bed, oxygen and drug shortages sweeping social media, Indians who are able to afford fares running into millions of rupees are booking flights to boltholes in Europe, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean, according to the head of a private jet company.
“It’s not only the ultra rich,” said Rajan Mehra, chief executive officer at New Delhi-based private plane firm Club One Air. “Whoever can afford to take a private jet are taking private jets.”
India reported 352,991 new infections on Monday, the highest daily tally worldwide since the pandemic began. With the country’s health infrastructure creaking under the strain, Bollywood movie superstars were spotted escaping to destinations including the Maldives, while at least three Australian cricketershave quit the Indian Premier League, the sport’s leading club tournament.
Patients inside a Covid-19 care center set up at the Commonwealth Games Village Sports Complex in New Delhi.
Photographer: T. Narayan/Bloomberg
Some of the impetus for the wealthy to fly out of India has come from overseas nations taking measures to restrict travel from the South Asian state as the new wave of Covid-19 cases has taken hold.
Canada, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and the U.K. are among more than a dozen places that have imposed curbs, with others poised to announce measures. The Maldives will restrict Indians from visiting all but a handful of resort-only islands from Tuesday, leading to a last-minute rush in departures.
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“There was a huge surge to London and Dubai just before the restrictions took place, and the Maldives too before they announced the ban,” said Mehra, who was previously the head of Indian operations at Qatar Airways.
A one-way flight from New Delhi to Dubai costs as much as 1.5 million rupees ($20,000), including ground handling and other fees, though private-jet operators also charge for the return leg if the plane is empty, Mehra said.
The exodus has echoes of last year, when India banned medical evacuation flights amid concern that the super-rich might falsely claim they need treatment in order to jet around the nation during lockdown after the government banned commercial services.
Fear of Super-Rich Faking Medical Flights Spurs India Ban
While private fares were already high and haven’t generally been bumped up, the cost of airline tickets has climbed.
Nishant Pitti, co-founder of Easy Trip Planners India, said there’s limited availability to locations such as London following a surge in bookings for “immediate travel.”
One-way economy-class trips to Dubai are going for the equivalent of $1,300, more than 10 times the regular price, according to Mehra.
“That shows how desperately people are trying to get away,” he said.
(Adds comment from booking agent on London demand in 11th paragraph)
Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal.
LEARN MORE
Ollie Williams08:19am EDT
Apr 27, 2021,|11,511 views
Wealthy Indians are chartering helicopters to escape the worsening Covid-19 pandemic in their ... [+]
"Get me out," were the three words messaged to Charles Robinson. Their author was one of many wealthy Indians attempting to flee the country's worsening Covid-19 pandemic by any means.
"This gentleman didn’t mind where to or how and even requested we look into helicopter options to shuttle him across the border where he could then transit through and head elsewhere," says Robinson, the founder of private jet charter company Just Jet.
As India reported a record number of Covid-19 cases over the weekend, those with enough money are rushing to charter jets or helicopters to fly them out of the country.
Many don't mind where they end up, as long as it is somewhere with good healthcare, and preferably a decent vaccination program. At home, hospitals are running out of oxygen to treat Covid-19 patients and vaccine stocks are dangerously low.
But a growing list of countries are now closing their borders to Indians, meaning travel for even the richest Indians is highly restricted.
Robinson was able to find a jet to fly his client to Abu Dhabi, just before the UAE suspended all incoming flights from India on Sunday (25 April).
There was a similar rush to London before the U.K. added India to its ‘Red List', meaning any new arrivals would have to quarantine in a government-approved hotel for ten days.
Pakistan has also closed its border with India. The country is witnessing a rising number of Covid-19 cases, and doctors fear a crisis similar to India's as ventilator and oxygen supplies run low.
Not Just The Ultra Rich
"It's not only the ultra rich. Whoever can afford to take a private jet are taking private jets," Rajan Mehra, CEO of New Delhi-based Club One Air, told Bloomberg.
Given the extortionate cost of flying private (a one-way flight from Delhi to Abu Dhabi can cost as much as $20,000), many of the not-quite-so-wealthy Indians are flying to the nearest country that will take them.
Some are transiting through or finding refuge in the Maldives, the island nation off India's south coast. WingX, which collects data on private aviation, says private jet connections to and from the Maldives are up 360% this year.
Not only is the Maldives an idyllic holiday destination, but the country says it will soon offer Covid-19 vaccines to anyone going there on holiday, just as soon as it has finished vaccinating its own population.
However, this is unlikely to be widely available to all Indians: As of Tuesday (27 April), the Maldives Ministry of Tourism suspended Indian tourists from staying at "hotels and guest houses in inhabited islands."
This means that only the Maldives' most expensive resorts on standalone or private islands will be available to fleeing Indians.
Private Jet Travel Takes Off
The scramble to private jets in the face of rising Covid-19 cases and travel restrictions is nothing new though.
As parts of Europe entered their first lockdown in March last year, many travelers or expats cut short their sojourns and chartered jets home.
Repatriation flights prevented the private aviation sector from following the fate of its commercial cousin. Charter firms, such as Air Charter Service, launched special 24-hour inquiries lines to assist travelers looking to urgently return home.
Now many are flying private simply to avoid congested commercial routes. Private jet charter companies now deep-clean their aircraft between trips and regularly test pilots and cabin crew for Covid-19.
Today the private aviation sector is 18% busier than this time last year, while scheduled airlines are down 29% according to WingX.
Nor are things in private aviation likely to quieten down any time soon, says Robinson: "Hopefully India will be back on track soon and the nationals who have fled for safety can return home."
Rich Indians Flee by Private Jet as Virus Infections Spiral
Anurag KotokyApril 26, 2021, 10:41 AM EDT
India’s mounting crisis surrounding a surge in coronavirus infections is prompting wealthy families to flee the country by private jet.
With reports of hospital bed, oxygen and drug shortages sweeping social media, Indians who are able to afford fares running into millions of rupees are booking flights to boltholes in Europe, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean, according to the head of a private jet company.
“It’s not only the ultra rich,” said Rajan Mehra, chief executive officer at New Delhi-based private plane firm Club One Air. “Whoever can afford to take a private jet are taking private jets.”
India reported 352,991 new infections on Monday, the highest daily tally worldwide since the pandemic began. With the country’s health infrastructure creaking under the strain, Bollywood movie superstars were spotted escaping to destinations including the Maldives, while at least three Australian cricketershave quit the Indian Premier League, the sport’s leading club tournament.
Patients inside a Covid-19 care center set up at the Commonwealth Games Village Sports Complex in New Delhi.
Photographer: T. Narayan/Bloomberg
Some of the impetus for the wealthy to fly out of India has come from overseas nations taking measures to restrict travel from the South Asian state as the new wave of Covid-19 cases has taken hold.
Canada, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and the U.K. are among more than a dozen places that have imposed curbs, with others poised to announce measures. The Maldives will restrict Indians from visiting all but a handful of resort-only islands from Tuesday, leading to a last-minute rush in departures.
Wealth for You
Enjoying Bloomberg Wealth?
To read more articles based on your personal financial goals, answer these 3 questions that will tailor your reading experience.
“There was a huge surge to London and Dubai just before the restrictions took place, and the Maldives too before they announced the ban,” said Mehra, who was previously the head of Indian operations at Qatar Airways.
A one-way flight from New Delhi to Dubai costs as much as 1.5 million rupees ($20,000), including ground handling and other fees, though private-jet operators also charge for the return leg if the plane is empty, Mehra said.
The exodus has echoes of last year, when India banned medical evacuation flights amid concern that the super-rich might falsely claim they need treatment in order to jet around the nation during lockdown after the government banned commercial services.
Fear of Super-Rich Faking Medical Flights Spurs India Ban
While private fares were already high and haven’t generally been bumped up, the cost of airline tickets has climbed.
Nishant Pitti, co-founder of Easy Trip Planners India, said there’s limited availability to locations such as London following a surge in bookings for “immediate travel.”
One-way economy-class trips to Dubai are going for the equivalent of $1,300, more than 10 times the regular price, according to Mehra.
“That shows how desperately people are trying to get away,” he said.
(Adds comment from booking agent on London demand in 11th paragraph)
Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal.
LEARN MORE
