State plans to refurbish aircraft for VIP movement

Around five years after it was mothballed, the state government will refurbish and re-use an aircraft for VIP movement, helping it save money which would have been spent otherwise on purchase of a new fixed wing plane or on renting it from private entities.

The Maharashtra government is expected to save Rs4 crore annually by reviving the use of its Beechcraft Super King Air 350 aircraft, said senior officials. The Beechcraft, which has a 2+9 seating capacity, was purchased in July 1998 at a cost of Rs17.24 crore. It was used by VIPs like the governor, chief minister and deputy chief minister for 11 years after which its use declined since a Cessna Citation 560 XLS was bought in 2008.

Moreover, it also lacked security and other modern equipment which had been made mandatory by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and was hence grounded since July 2011.

Now, the state government has decided to refurbish and modernise the plane and re-use it to save money otherwise spent on hiring aircraft from private companies. It will also be cheaper than a new purchase which may cost around Rs50 crore.

The plane will be refurbished in such a manner that it can be used as an air ambulance during emergencies. On Tuesday, the state cabinet approved a Rs18 crore proposal towards these upgrades.

"The state cabinet has decided to repair its old aircraft. It was kept idle for many years without use," said Maharashtra chief secretary Swadheen Kshatriya. He added that the plane had been used for just around 2,200 flying hours — a fraction of its life of 35 years or 25,000 flying hours — and hence, they had decided to repair and reuse the craft.

"We have a need (for another plane) for use by VIPs like the chief minister and ministers," said Kshatriya.

"The aircraft will also be fitted with equipment necessary for VIPs," said additional chief secretary (GAD) Dr Prem Singh Meena, adding that they needed an additional plane as at times, when the tours of various VIPs overlapped, the state government had to take an aircraft on rent.

"We will spend Rs4 crore annually on heads like ATF, pilots and maintenance for this plane as against the Rs8 crore to hire an aircraft," he said, adding that this translated into an annual saving of Rs4 crore for the exchequer.

The state government had in the past tried to auction off the aircraft, but bids worth just Rs5 crore were received as against the reserve price of Rs8 crore. A committee under the chief secretary was constituted to decide on its use and it had recommended that the plane be upgraded and used by the state government.

An official from the state government's directorate of aviation said they had similarly refurbished its Eurocopter AS365N3 Dauphin helicopter earlier this year at a cost of Rs24 crore instead of purchasing a new chopper which would cost around Rs100 crore. A decision in this regard had been taken by the state cabinet then, and the same model was being used again, they added.

The Maharashtra government has two helicopters — the Dauphin purchased in 2001 at a cost of Rs23 crore and a Sikorsky S-76C++ bought in December 2011.