IPL auction: Chartered jets fly into Kochi airport

Kochi: The number of business jets arriving at the newly inaugurated business jet terminal (BJT) of Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial) saw a surge on Thursday as many VIPs and businesspersons have reached Kochi for the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction to be held at Grand Hyatt Kochi on Friday.
Around 10 business flights were chartered for Friday alone and more flights are expected. Cial authorities said that it was the first time the BJT is reporting the operations of that many flights on a single day since the terminal was launched on December 10.
The chartered flights include the Bombardier G7500 aircraft, considered the world’s largest and longest range luxurious business jet, for Reliance Group, which owns Mumbai Indians. Other flights include the ones chartered for Goenka Group (Lucknow SuperGiants), JSW Group (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Sun Group (Sunrisers Hyderabad) and GMR Group (Delhi Capitals).
Cial officials said that the terminal will be handling around over 250 passengers in connection with the IPL auction. The passengers can avail the seven-star luxury services offered at the terminal, which include opulent lounges, conference and dining halls, etc.
On an average, Cial reports at least two chartered flights daily. Since the BJT was launched, the terminal has handled more than 20 flights so far. Cial aims to tap the potential in the chartered flight sector with the BJT, which caters to both international and domestic flights.
“With an operational area of 40,000 sq ft, including a 10,000 sq ft VVIP safe house, the BJT is the largest of its kind in India. We launched the terminal ahead of the IPL auction anticipating the increase in flight charters during the event. As expected, there is an increase in the number of business jets,” said a Cial official.