Fifa World Cup: Demand for private jets from India soars

As the Fifa World Cup draws close, air charter sourcing companies are cashing in on India's high net-worth individuals (HNIs), who book business charter planes to attend various matches.

The Fifa World Cup is scheduled to be held in Qatar from November 20 to December 18.

According to official sources, India's HNIs are set for an unprecedented presence at the Fifa event in Qatar this year, as the charter planes are being mostly sold out, in spite of rates being exorbitant.

An official on the condition of anonymity said that one of India's HNIs had booked the fastest 30-seater charter plane to witness the Fifa World Cup matches in Qatar.

Insta Charter, the Delhi-based air charter sourcing company, in an interaction with ANI said that the HNIs were showing their interest in booking a private charter.

"This past month, the maximum trip requests we have received are to Qatar and Dubai for Fifa matches," Captain Abhishek Sinha, founder of Insta Charter told ANI.

This increase in charter demand comes as the hotels are fast selling out in Qatar, and the number of hotels available does not match the number of Fifa spectators. Thus, the use of fast air charters would enable the passengers to return home on the same day itself, without staying in a hotel.

Insta Charter is a global air charter sourcing platform connecting operators and brokers in the business air charter industry. They confirmed to ANI that most of the prominent personalities who will be witnessing the Fifa match from India had booked their charters through their portal.

"We can definitely say this is indicative of the prominent presence of the who's who of the Indian business fraternity at the event, but can't say the name of our clients as per our privacy policy," Captain Sinha said.

Furthermore, Sinha explained that "India's ultra high net worth (UHNIs) are under 40, and spend more on experiences than on jewellery".

Usually, private charters of 30 seater planes take around 5 hours for a one-way trip to Qatar (Doha) from Delhi. Here, the operators charge the cost as per a two-way pricing that further increases the cost if it includes plane holding, airport fees, and crew charges.

A two-way trip to Doha in a 30-seater plane would cost about Rs5 - 6 million plus taxes, which are now roughly 40 - 50 per cent due to surging demand and lopsided supply.

"The cost is almost same from Mumbai," Sinha added.

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Meanwhile, ahead of the Football World Cup in Doha, Tata Group-owned Air India announced the launch of 20 new weekly flights to Qatar (Doha) from major Indian cities Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Chennai.

"The added capacity will cater to the surge in demand expected around the football extravaganza in Qatar scheduled in November and December 2022," the airline said in a statement.

The first Fifa World Cup to be held in the Middle East will kick off on November 20, bringing fans from the region and around the globe together in a compact and modern setting.

Most football lovers are very keen to attend and witness the last match of Argentine superstar Lionel Messi after he made a big announcement saying that the Fifa World Cup 2022 in Qatar would "surely" be his last.

• India