Officials said there were 161 activities of helicopters and special flights with 77 arrival flights and 84 departure flights at Chennai airport in the last 15 days.
As the TN assembly election approaches, the Chennai airport is flying by helicopters and special flights, carrying leaders traveling for campaigns in various districts.
Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials said that 161 helicopters and special flights, including 77 arrival flights and 84 departure flights, were diverted to Chennai airport in the last 15 days. Officials said that as a whole, in the last two weeks, 228 passengers have traveled by special flights.
Some politicians took helicopters or special flights to districts such as Coimbatore, Tiruchi and Madurai for election campaigns. “While some still continue to travel by regular flights, some of them prefer special flights because it saves time. They can reach or depart as per their convenience depending on the time of their expeditions. It is certainly Is more expensive than traveling by regular flights from. An official said, it could cost anywhere between a minimum of ₹ 1.5 lakh to ₹ 3 lakh depending on the aircraft chosen and the facilities.
Officials said that after COVID-19 and lockdown, the number of chartered flights arriving in the city had gone up with many passengers arriving from the Middle East via such flights. “Usually, whenever elections come close, we see a significant increase in the number of helicopters or special flight movements at the airport. Something similar happened this time too. In the coming two weeks, we may see more commotion, ”said another official.
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