As flight cancellations and delays continued for a third straight day across India, the cascading disruption caused by IndiGo’s operational crisis has triggered an unexpected surge in demand for charter and business jets. Operators say they are overwhelmed, with enquiries shooting up to levels they have never seen before.
Several charter flight companies reported that requests for urgent, same-day travel have multiplied since December 4, as passengers, including business travellers, families and frequent flyers, scramble for alternatives.
Sourabh Jangid, Accountable Manager at Nibe Aeronautics Limited, an air charter services company based in Pune, said enquiries have risen nearly five-fold in just 48 hours. “There are no aircraft available; the demand is that high. We usually receive around 10 enquiries a day, but it has now touched 50, and Hyderabad alone accounts for at least a quarter of them. Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad have emerged as the most active sectors for charter demand,” he said.
Charter movements themselves have risen nearly three-fold, he said. “On a normal day we handle 2-3 charters, about 4-6 flights, but demand has now pushed us to operate 6-7 charters, or up to 14 flights a day. Our three aircraft are running at full capacity and we are relying on other operators to support additional requests,” Jangid said.
He added that while most of the demand is corporate, led by senior management travellers, families are increasingly seeking charter options as well. In one instance, a family travelling from Delhi to Ayodhya booked a charter after commercial delays threatened to disrupt their scheduled mahurat (auspicious time).“They had pre-booked their tickets, but last-minute cancellations forced them to opt for a charter. We’ve also received similar requests from families flying for urgent health reasons,” another charter operator said.
Meanwhile, Shailendra Singh, Managing Director of Delhi-based Arrow Charters said that even empty legs, which usually see only 5% to 10% uptake, are being booked. “The return flights are also fully booked if the information is floated in social media groups. Over the last two to three days, we have been operating 2-3 charters a day, about 4-6 flights, deploying our chopper and jets from other players,” he said.
As domestic airfares shot up sharply, from ₹22,000 to ₹50,000 on the Hyderabad–Delhi sector, ₹36,000 to ₹56,000 between Delhi and Bengaluru, and up to ₹45,000 on the Bengaluru–Mumbai route, many travellers were pushed to consider charter and business jets. A last-minute Air India economy ticket from Hyderabad to Bhopal even touched ₹1.03 lakh on Wednesday.
According to Jangid, urgency is driving the spike. “The enquiries are for immediate departures (called go now). People are even willing to pay a premium for 2-2.5 hours of ferry time, for instance, if an aircraft is available only in Mumbai, they are ready to fly it down to Delhi at extra cost just so they can reach their destination on time.”
As per industry players, charter jet prices currently range from ₹2.5 lakh per hour for smaller six-seater aircraft to around ₹4 lakh per hour for larger eight-seater jets, excluding airport handling charges and taxes.
The Indigo fiasco has also created operational challenges for charter firms. “Mobilising crew is becoming difficult because commercial flights are disrupted. Even getting staff to Ahmedabad or Mumbai, where our aircraft are parked, is a problem. In airports like Pune, where business and commercial terminals are common, we do not even have parking space as IndiGo aircraft are occupying the aprons,” Jangid said.
Senior Captain Balraj Bhullar, working with Hyderabad-based charter company said the surge is likely to continue until airline operations stabilise. “The demand has increased noticeably and is expected to stay high. Social media groups are full of requests for charter options. It is still an expensive choice, but for those who value time over cost, this becomes the preferred alternative,” he said.
However, the sector has natural limitations essentially the limited number of seats in every aircraft which varies from 6 to 16 in most aircraft. Globally, charter aircraft, business jets and helicopters only a small percentage of total carriage thus capacity of airlines restricting the capacity to absorb sudden spikes. Costs can also rise sharply if a jet must be ferried from another location.
Published – December 05, 2025 06:45 pm IST
