Need-based hiring cuts by half govt’s flying bill

As per the data revealed through an RTI application,the fixed monthly charges for the helicopter was Rs 35 lakh,while the per hour charges were Rs 75,000. At an average the state was paying Rs 15 crore to the company every year. However,the state put on hold its lease with the company in December last year after a helicopter crashed at the Chandigarh Airport moments after

take off.

Now,the civil aviation department of the state government has started hiring helicopters and aircraft on need basis as the government has not purchased or taken on lease any aircraft,the RTI reply stated.

Sources said that the civil aviation department is now hiring helicopters or aircraft from Global Vetra,Challenger Aviation,Air Charter Services and Span Air,all air service providers,on the need basis. The state now pays Rs 1.40 lakh per hour for a five-seater helicopter,which it uses on an average,for 35 hours a month.

It has thus paid Rs 49 lakh per month to the private operators.

It also used the eight-seater helicopter AW 139 for about 10 hours a month and paid Rs 2.15 lakh per hour for it. For the nine-seater Super King Air B 350 aircraft,the state shelled out Rs 1.10 lakh per hour,while for an eight-seater Cessna Citation aircraft it has paid Rs 1.25 lakh per hour.

A civil aviation department official said,“In the last little over about eight months,the government has spent only Rs 5 crore on hiring these aircraft and helicopters. It is much cheaper then paying a fixed lease per year of minimum Rs 15 crore”.

As per the information the persons who are entitled to use the helicopters are the governor and the chief minister while the cabinet ministers,chief secretary,DGP and a host of other VVIPs too can fly after getting an approval from the CM. As the state does not own an aircraft,there is no available record regarding the number of sorties made. The aircraft are requisitioned as per the demand and requirement and reasons for the same are not conveyed to the

department.