The skies over Ayodhya will be buzzing with private jets on Jan. 22, as India's wealthy and prominent figures descend on the holy town for the inauguration of the Ram Mandir temple.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Thursday that 100 chartered flights are expected to land at Ayodhya airport, a sixfold increase from usual traffic. This surge reflects the high-profile nature of the event, which will see Prime Minister Narendra Modi in attendance alongside industry leaders, film stars and other celebrities.
This year will be a new high for charters, said Rajan Mehra, CEO of Club One Air, an air charter firm. Bookings are already brisk for the Ayodhya event, adding to a busy season that includes the Vibrant Gujarat investor summit and upcoming general elections.
The influx is pushing the limits of Ayodhya airport's capacity. While 42 inquiries have been received from charter operators, Director Vinod Kumar said parking space will be scarce for all the arriving planes. He advised operators to plan for drop-off and pick-up only on Jan. 22, with parking at nearby airports like Lucknow, Varanasi, Kushinagar, Patna and even Delhi.
Charter companies are experiencing a surge in demand for flights to Ayodhya. Club One Air has already booked three Falcon 2000 business jets for the event, while JetSetGo, a charter marketplace, has received 25 inquiries. The requests have come from various cities, including Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Nagpur, said Kanika Tekriwal, JetSetGo's founder and CEO. This represents a significant rise in demand compared to our usual volume for the region, ET reported.
The increased air traffic is just one sign of the anticipation surrounding the Ram Mandir inauguration, a landmark event decades in the making for millions of Hindus in India.