You can now buy planes for as little as Rs 8.5 lakh
BANGALORE: It’s not just the airfares that are getting cheaper. With a price tag of as low as Rs 10 lakh, now even owning an aircraft is not a very expensive proposition.
That is, if you don’t mind the two-seat light aircraft, whose prices range between Rs10 lakh and Rs 8-10 crore.
And with the aspiration of Indians flying high, it is such lifestyle products that they are seeking. That is what Germany’s light aircraft marker Ikarus found out at the Aero India show. It’s microlight aircraft C42B, priced at Rs 25 lakh (ex-Germany), which was demonstrated, received a flood of inquiries from CEOs, VPs and pilots.
Gajanan Hegde, vice president of software firm Spikesource, was drawn to the Ikarus aircraft mainly because of its affordability.
“It’s amazingly cheap. Nowadays, some luxury cars cost as much as this or even higher. I could use it for fun flying during weekends or visit friends and relative in Mysore,” said Hegde.
For ex-Air Force pilot Jayant Nadkarni, it is just getting back to the love of flying. “If I can own an aircraft, I can be in touch with flying,” he said while admiring the C42B on the tarmac.
Hegde and Nadkarni’s case are not isolated. Promoter of Bangalore-based light aircraft producer Albatross Flying System Javed Hassan says such a trend is on the rise. “This year, I sold 12 microlight aircraft, of which seven were to private owners. One was an owner of a printing firm; another ran a water treatment plant. One was just a rich kid,” said Hassan.
But owning an aircraft is not a simple affair. It needs maintenance, parking bays and a microlite pilot license (MPL) to fly it. You also need to get clearances from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which takes over a month.
“The maintenance of these aircraft is very simple, but getting parking bays is a little difficult nowadays. As for the MPL, it can be acquired with just 40 hours of flying,” says Wing Commander Rajiv Jain of Touchwood Aviation, which is Indian representative of Ikarus.
And what is the cost of running them? Hemangi Aviation and Tourism Services Limited COO Vibhooti Singh Deora says with an average mileage of 10 litres (ATF) per hour, it is more economical than some of the cars.
