Professional Pilot, August 2017

permit TLP but this is something best avoided Local immigration officers have discretion to approve or disapprove your visa free stay and you may run into issues Coordinating required visas and landing permits can be something of a Catch 22 Technically you should have your visas when applying for a landing permit but you should have your landing permit application on file before submitting a new visa request adds Wilson In practice operators often submit permit applications prior to assembling all visas and use the landing permit application for new visa applications Once visas are issued this information is forwarded via your handler to CAA and the landing permit is validated Obtaining all necessary visas for your operation to India is usually one of the larger challenges youll face Weve had operators plan trips to India well in advance but visas did not come through in time and trips had to be canceled last minute says Wilson Fuel catering and credit Fuel availability and credit are generally good at all airports of entry Its always recommended however to carry a fuel release and to provide prior notice preferably 24 hours for all intended fuel uplifts Fuel deliveries are usually efficient and on time However commercial scheduled ops always take priority and occasional delays may be experienced during peak operating periods LeDuc often advises crews to be at the airport 3 hours prior to departures so fuel delivery or other service issues dont delay operations In 38 PROFESSIONAL PILOT August 2017 some cases transport between your aircraft and the terminal may require 20 to 30 minutes Note that cash payments are usually not accepted in India for fuel catering or services as the country is quickly moving to an all credit society For catering uplifts plan at least on a 24 hour notice and allow 48 hours for any sort of specialty orders Note also that a special tax applies to fuel remaining onboard in cases of international arrivals if the next flight leg is domestic Fuel remaining will be calculated by local airport authorities upon landing with the tax due and payable at that time Smaller airports While India has plenty of smaller domestic airports available and some corporate operators are flying to these locations to set up factories or other facilities its important to confirm infrastructure condition and service availability The runways and taxiway ramps may not be stressed for larger GA equipment and there may be fuel and technical service limitations to consider says Kang Ground support may be minimal there may not be potable water or lav service and cattle may wander across the airfield due to lack of fencing Be aware of limitations such as catering even at larger airports Best practice is to keep catering orders simple avoid complex requests and consider picking up additional catering at an international tech stop Handling and catering can be very expensive when operating to India it can cost as much as 8000 per stop as recorded by international support providers ISPs Hotels local transport and weather Larger centers such as Mumbai and Delhi have good selections of 4 and 5 star accommodations both close to the airports and in city centers Plan on about 200 to 250 per night for 4 star accommodations for each crew member For local transport its often best to use options pre vetted by your handler although ISPs say UBER has been working well Note that monsoon season can last from July until as late as December This constant rain and severe weather activity can result in flight diversions and having to organize aircraft parking elsewhere Summary Business aviation operations to India still present challenges ISPs say that while the regulatory environment is not overly welcoming to bizav operators future prospects look positive There are currently about 122 GA operators based in India with an average of 2 aircraft per operator and there are very significant taxes to pay to bring new aircraft into the country Indian government regulations need to change in order to promote significant growth within the local industry That said theres no turning back now GA ops are on the upswing there are plans to build a new airport at Mumbai and new guidelines seem to be in the works to better support GA growth and operational flexibility India is not a part of the world where you want to wing it on your own without well connected ISPs and local ground handlers says Le Duc India is one of the more complex regions for GA ops and youre not always free to do what you want to do when you want to do it Local bureaucracy will slow things down occasionally and youll need assistance with connections to get you out of a bind from time to time Editor at Large Grant McLaren has written for Pro Pilot for over 20 years and specializes in corporate flight department coverage A private jet floats along the wall of MAA Chennai Intl Airport after floods sweep through southern India following record rainfalls December 3 2015 November was the wettest month on record and the resulting floods killed more than 300 people