As India deals with the deadly pandemic, amidst the death and the devastation, the rich of India escaped in private jets. Reports have flooded all around the world with the news of lack of oxygen, hospital beds and the essential medicines in India, but the rich of this third world nation-state booked their flights to safer destinations in the Middle East, Europe and the Indian Ocean.
Rohan Mehra, the CEO of Club One Air, a New Delhi-based private jets firm said to Bloomberg, that it was not just the ultra-rich, anybody who could afford a private jet fled the country.
The motivation behind fleeing India was the travel curbs that the other countries were imposing on traveling to and from India. As countries like the UK, UAE and Canada imposed these bans, there was an emergence of last-minute rush in departure. A similar instance happened in the Maldives, where some Bollywood stars had been spotted, the rich fled last minute before the travel restrictions were imposed on Tuesday.
“There was a huge surge to London and Dubai just before the restrictions took place, and the Maldives too before they announced the ban,” Mehra told Bloomberg.
“A one-way flight from New Delhi to Dubai is priced at around Rs 15 lakh ($20,000), comprising ground handling and other fees and the private-jet operators also charge for return flight if the plane is empty,” Mehra said.
“One-way economy-class trips to Dubai are going for the equivalent of $1,300, more than 10 times the regular price, that shows how desperate people are trying to get away,” according to Mehra.
Besides those who escaped, the ones who are stuck in India have moved to their safety bubbles, according to a report by NDTV.
“I’ve been indoors with my family and our staff, that’s my story,” said Kris Gopalakrishnan, one of the billionaire-cofounders of IT giant Infosys Ltd. who runs a Bangalore-based venture to support startups.
Meanwhile, Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man has moved from his Mumbai home to Jamnagar in Gujarat with his family.
Similarly, Gautam Adani, India’s second-richest person is with his son and other close family members in his home on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.