A Cobrapost investigation sheds light on how nine air charter companies take payment in cash or in black and how they are still operating despite showing heavy losses in their balance sheets. One air charter company official even revealed that political parties who use the services usually pay in cash. All the companies went the extra mile and said that they will not generate a bill/receipt for the cash payment so that black money can easily be used to pay for their services.
During the lengthy investigation, Cobrapost Associate Editor Asit Dixit and Cobrapost Correspondent Md. Hizbullah posed as front men for an Indian politician who wants to avail charter flight services for a considerable period of time. Cobrapost team met senior officials including Group Vice Presidents, directors and CEOs of nine chartered companies located in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore who were more than willing to take payment in cash instead of via cheque. The cash payment, of course, would not be taxable; this is a violation of Income Tax laws of the country and is a punishable offence.
Despite incurring huge losses over several years, most Indian chartered aircraft companies have been continuing operations. This raises the question that despite losses, why are these companies still running their business of leasing aircraft to politicians and corporate?
Interestingly, An eight-seater Hawker 900 XP aircraft costs Rs. 2,25,000 per hour on hire. A small jet has a maximum cruise speed of around 700 kmph. The distance from Delhi to Bangalore, as the crow flies, is 1,745 km. Hence, an eight-seater jet would take approximately 2.5 hours to fly the distance, costing around Rs. 5,60,000. Charter companies also charge Rs. 50,000 for the crew, plus landing and ground handling charges, which vary at each airport. So the total cost of an eight-seater charter flight from Delhi to Bangalore would cost approximately Rs. 7 lakh. In case the aircraft has to wait for a return flight, additional charges of Rs. 20,000 per hour are applicable. Rates for a chartering a six-seater Bell helicopter are Rs. 75,000 per hour plus additional charges. (*These are approximate/average costs calculated on charges mentioned on the website of an air charter company. In the run-up to elections, the charges are hiked)
Officials of chartered aircraft companies suggested several ways as to how they will absorb the cash payment along with cheques. They also assure total secrecy: they would not reveal the identity of the “politician” and added that they are quite “experienced” in handling cash transactions from clients who do not wish to pay in ‘white’ money.
During the investigation, the Cobrapost reporter meets the director of Pinnacle Air Private Limited, Capt Sandeep Saraf in Delhi, who reveals how he runs his business in the face of mounting losses. It is worthwhile to mention here that Pinnacle Air has Cessna 525A- jet, Cessna Caravan 208B- jet, Beechcraft King Air C-90A-jet and Bell-407 (H) helicopters in its fleet.
Sandeep Saraf also comes up with ideas on how the fictitious politician will be entertained. He asks the correspondent how much will be paid in cash? Sandeep Saraf says: “Meri baat samajhne ki koshish karo… aapne mere ko yeh batana hai ki kitna cash doge kitna cheque se doge? (You should understand what I mean to say. You will have to tell me how much you will pay in cash and how much in cheque?”
The entire cost of the charter flights have to be paid in advance, in cash, says Sandeep Saraf. When our reporter insists on paying on a monthly basis, the captain says: “Nahi nahi… Woh nahi karta main… ya main usme ek kaam kar sakta hu… aap kaccha aur pakka kitna karenge? (No no… I don’t do it like that… I can do one thing… But how much will amount will be in black and how much in white?”
The reporter insists on total confidentiality and says that he will pay whatever amount Sandeep Saraf wants in cash. Sandeep Saraf replies: “Kitna cash se doge kitna cheque se doge? Agar mere ko yeh kaho na ki ji 40 percent kaccha doonga 60percent… jee dekho aate mein namak to mil jayega… namak mein aata nahi milega.” (How much will you give in cash and how much in cheque? If you tell me that 40 per cent will be in cash and 60 per cent… see, you can mix salt in flour but not flour in salt)”.
Capt. Sandeep Saraf does not stop here. He says that he will show on paper that the flights were availed by someone else, not the “politician”. He adds: “Chalis ghante ke upar service tax lagega. Jitni marzi cash de do but hame hamare account mein show karna padta hai… service tax sab par lagega sarkar ke kisi bhi khate ke andar ek paise ki bhi chori nahi karta hu… main abhi aapko apna rule bata diya baki log jo hai wok karte hai… main nahi karta chahe kuch marzi ho jaye jo service tax hai wo time pe jama karate hai… service tax aapse loonga sarkar ke khate mein jama karunga… bas yeh hai ki jo aapki flight hai wo kisi aur ki dikha doonga… bada clearly bata raha hu…aadmi jab relation banata hai to relation acche banana chahiye…( There would be service tax above 40 hours. You can give us whatever amount you want to in cash but we have to show it in our accounts. Service tax is applicable on all government accounts. I told you regarding our rules … others may do it… but whatever may be the situation I don’t do it. Service tax has to be paid on time. The thing I can do it is to show your flight bookings on some other name. I am telling you clearly. Whenever somebody makes a relation… it should be good).
Sandeep Saraf asks the Cobrapost reporter—who is posing as a frontman for a fictitious politician–to fix the deal at 60 per cent in black and 40 per cent legit. He says: “60-40 kar lo”. Sandeep clearly says that he has no problems to take 60 per cent of the amount in cash and 40 through cheque.
The reporter wants an assurance that the ‘politicians’ name will not be revealed if a large portion of the amount for hiring the chartered flight is paid in cash. Sandeep Saraf says: “Kyunki baki ka jo bhi hum doosre ke paas se karenge na billing… aapki billing nahi hogi ( We will do the billing on some other name. Your name will not emerge in the bills) . So the billing for the amount paid in cash will be done on some other fictitious name and not of the politician who has availed the charter flight services. He will only get the bill for the amount paid in cheque. Sandeep says: “ doosri party ke naam se billing. Wo aapse koi matlab nahi (The bill will be on some other name. You don’t have anything to do with it)”.
After talking to Sandeep Saraf it becomes clear that use of black money was in abundance in the aviation sector. This is how even after suffering massive losses all through these years, these companies have managed to stay in the business by promoting the use of black money.
When we contacted Capt. Sandeep Saraf director of Pinnacle Air Private Limited, he remembered the earlier meeting and also agreed to accept cash even now. When we revealed our identity that we are from Cobrapost and are going to publish a story, he said that he knew that this was going on and that we should publish our story. He even offered to help us with the story and told us to catch hold of all “blackmailers”.
Interestingly, on December 19th, 2014, a Cobrapost investigation named ‘Up in the air’ revealed how politicians have been using chartered aircraft, with some of them flouting Election Commission norms. The story also revealed that some of them have been flying with family members, government officials and corporate barons, sometimes doing several aerial trips in a single day. In some cases, the Airports Authority of India did not disclose the destinations they flew to. Cobrapost also discovered that most of the air charter companies are running into losses worth crores of rupees.
Documents procured during the investigation through RTIs suggest that senior NCP leader Praful Patel availed the services of Pinnacle Air Services on September 7th, 2012, for his travel from Vadodara to Mumbai.
Patel was not the only politician who availed the services of Pinnacle Air Services. On November 27th ,2013, actress and Bharatnatyam dancer-turned-politician and Rajya Sabha member Hema Malini also flew in a Pinnacle Air Jet chartered aircraft from Bharatpur from Jaipur.
Next in the line of our investigation was Amit Kumar, director of Sky Connect Aviation in New Delhi. He repeats the same modus operandi. Amit Kumar is willing to take the aircraft rental in cash. He says: “Agar x proportion bhi hum karte hai … X in and Y in black but aapke hisaab se poora 100 percent aayega… cash mein hi X payment jo white wala hoga uske lizye aap PAN card deenge ( If we go for X proportion X in white and Y in black but according to you the entire amount will be in cash. For the Y portion… you will have to give PAN card).
“How much money in cash can be paid to the aviation company for hiring the chartered flight for the fictitious politician?” asks our reporter. Amit says: “Ek baar uske liye mujhe CA se baat karni hogi. (I will have to talk to the CA regarding that).” So according to Amit, the proportion of the money in cash will be decided after deliberations with the chartered accountant, who will suggest ways in which cash can be taken from the customer.
But Amit doesn’t lay out all his cards. He wants an assurance that he will get the business from the politician. He says: “Woh to advance stage mein baat karenge aur aapko abhi final karna ho to us hisaab se wo dekh leenge (That we will talk in the advanced stage. And if you have to finalise now then we can talk differently).”
A lady sitting with Amit says: “Agar full and final wali deal hogi to usme aapko bahut chearly baat kar leenge (If the deal you struck is full and final then we can negotiate very clearly)”
Amit again asks about the amount which will be paid in cash. He says that for adjusting both in black and white money, a PAN number will be required. He says: “Jo proportion bhi agai x proportion bhi hum karte hai ki thik hai… x and y in black but aapke hisaab se poora 100 percent… jo white wala hoga uske liye aap PAN card de doge ( If we go for X proportion…ok… X and Y in black but according to you 100 percent… for the white portion you will have to give your PAN card)”.
The reporter offers to pay 60 per cent of the amount in cash and 40 per cent through card or cheque. Amit says he will have to check with a chartered accountant how much he can adjust. Amit says: “Main samajh raha hu aapki baat. Uske liye na mujhe CA se baat karni padegi… (I can understand you. For that I will have to talk to the CA.)”
Then, Amit says that 60 per cent of the amount should be in white, for which he will give a receipt. The rest of the amount in cash will be “operationally adjusted”. He says: “Woh operationally adjust hoga.”
Our reporter calls Amit Kumar of director of Sky Connect Aviation in New Delhi and reminds that we had wanted to hire an aircraft from his company. Hizbullah tells him that he is a colleague of the reporter who had met Amit Kumar. Can we still get a Bell 412 helicopter for one year? Amit Kumar says that a Bell 412 is not hired out for just one year but for a minimum of three to five years since it is a large aircraft.
When our correspondent talks about paying in cash, Amit Kumar says that that is not a problem.
Then we drop the bomb and say that we are calling from Cobrapost and that we have done an investigation on how aviation companies accept black money as payment for charter aircraft.
Amit Kumar replies that the cash component is adjusted in accommodation, airport charges and out pay, “cash mein humara hota hai cash mein hum le lete hain koi dikkat nahi (we take in cash, it is not a problem).”
When asked further, Amit Kumar says that he is not in Delhi and begins to threaten our correspondent. “Kuch nahi kehna cahenge aap ek kam kariye mere office aa jaiye … baithke baat karte hai kyoki abhi to mein delhi mein hun bhi nahi abhi mein Muzzafarnagar mein hu Saharanpur mein hun … Ya fir Saharanpur aapka koi bureau hai to Saharanpur mein wahi aakar miliyega … Btaunga na fir acche se poora detail mein aapko wo karke btaunga (I don’t want to say anything… come to my office… we will sit and talk as I am not in Delhi right now I am in Muzzafarnagar … in Saharanpur… if you have a bureau here in Saharanpur we can meet there … then I will tell you in detail … I will show you).”
Next, our reporter meets Amit Bharadwaaj, Director (Operations) of Shaurya Aeronautics Private Limited in Delhi. We tell Amit Bharadwaaj as well that we would like to pay in cash for the services and there should be no mention of our names in the books. Amit Bharadwaaj, being a new player in this field, decides to call his accounts department before finalizing the deal with us. Amit Bharadwaaj says: “Cash barabar kar leenge operator ko jisko dena hai operator ko apne aap de deenge… wo hamari deadache hai (We will do it in cash. Whatever we have to give to the operator we will do it. It’s our headache)”.
Amit Bharadwaaj calls someone in his accounts department and tells him: “Apne ko kisi se lets say 40 lakh lee hai… political party… political party hai to unko koi bill will nahi chahiye na wo koi naam waam chahte hai tumhari books mein. Cash me deenge. 70 percent maano cash de deenge. Thik hai… 30 percent cheque de diya to uko 30 percent ki hi billing chahiye books mein entry wentry ghuma doge na inko to kuch nahi karoge na… inke naam se to koi entry nahi karoge na… job hi aayega RTGS aayega ya cheque aayega. Thik hai ban gaya… aur jo baaki jo inhone cash diya uska to kahi naam waam nahi daaloge? Thik hai samajh gaye? Yaar saaf seedhi baat hai joy eh white mein deenge uska inko bill mil jayega… matter finish. Wo hum apni books mein bhi nahi dikhayenge. (Let’s say we take 40 lakh… political party… then they do not wish to take any bill… they don’t want their names to figure in any book. They pay in cash… say 70 percent in cash… ok… 30 per cent they give in cheque. They need bills for that 30 percent only. We can twist the entries made… will it be RTGS or through cheque? And the rest of the amount paid in cash there would be no names on the bill. Did you understand? The clear thing is whatever you give in white… you get the bills matter is finished. We will not even show them in the books).”
Amit Bharadwaaj makes it clear that he is more than willing to accept more than 70 per cent of the amount in cash. He also assures the reporter that the cash transaction will not be shown in the account books of the company.
Later, when the Cobrapost correspondent calls Amit Bharadwaj, Director (Operations) of Shaurya Aeronautics Private Limited in Delhi and reminds him that he had met his colleague a few months ago regarding chartering an aircraft for a politician, Bharadwaj remembers. He asks what kind of aircraft do we want to charter. Hizbullah tells him that he needs a Bell 412 helicopter. Bharadwaj remembers that the hiring is for the upcoming Bihar elections. “Bihar elections kay liye,” Bharadwaj says. “Abhi to sir mera khud ka to gaya hua hai dehradun gya hua hai 2 3 mahine baad ayega but aap mujhe thoda sa time do…main apko koi arrange kar ke deta hun kya requirement kya hai apki (My helicopter has gone to Dehradun, it will come back after two-three months… give me some time… I shall arrange it for you).”
The correspondent asks him again how much will he take in cash? Bharadwaj replies, “Haan ho jayega ho jana chahiye padega … 70% main baat kar leta hun ek bari mujhe 15 20 minute ka time do call karta hun (Yes it will be done. I will talk for 70 per cent, give me 15-20 minutes, I’ll call).”
The correspondent then reveals his identity and says that he is from Cobrapost and that his conversation with our colleague earlier was recorded on hidden camera and that we are going to publish the story.
Bharadwaj says, “Nahi nahi but usme sabse badi baat ye hai ki wo to mere pas office me khud he aye is deal ke liye maine to us chiz me kbhi try nahi ki agr hisab se dekhe aap… nahi nahi dekhiye jab aage kuch baat he nahi hua wo to mere pas aye or aa ke unhone proposal manga mene abhi baat kar ke btaunga to wo to matlab mri company ke upr depend karta hai naa sir mri company kya karti hai wo to main decision nahi le sakta hun na sir ham to sirf service provide kar sakte hai billing ka aur jo bhi financial matter hota hai wo to company decide karti hai (No no, the biggest thing is that he came to me in my office for the deal… I never tried for that if you look at it… No no, see when there was no further talk and he came to me and gave the proposal … it depends on what my company does… I can’t take the decions Sir, we can only provide the service … billing and other financial matters are decided by the company).” Bharadwaj adds that if any deal is finalized with a political party or an individual, the final say is of his bosses and the director.
The Cobrapost reporter then meets the director of Aircab Aviation Private Limited Akshay Kumar. He tells us another way in which he can accommodate cash. He says: “Aapka naam kahi nahi aayega. Aapka to bas 50 per cent jo bill ayega uska payment karna hai… humne aapna charge dikha diya hai ki humne aapko 75000 ke hisaab se inko aircraft diye hai. Hum kyun dikhayenge ki humne yeh rate diye hai (Your name will not be disclosed. You will only have to pay the 50 per cent of the entire amount of which you will be given a bill. We show that we have given you the aircraft at the rate of Rs. 75,000. No other rates will be disclosed)”. He calls someone called Rafique over the phone and briefs him about the business he was getting into with the correspondent.
Wanting to fix the deal with the reporter as soon as possible, Akshay Kumar says: “Hum rate kam kar deenge to usme 75 per cent ke hisaab se kar deenge per hour… samajh gaye na… aapka flying to pura complete hoga lekin aapka dedh lakh ka… 75 ke hisaab se 75 plus tax bill banega… baki ka hum bill dikhayenge nahi. (we will lower the rates. You flying will be completed. Though the price will be 1.5 lakh, we will give bill only for 75 thousand per flying hour plus taxes. You will not get the bill for the rest of the amount.)”
When we called Akshay Kumar for his reaction several times, he kept saying that he is busy.
Next, the reporter meets Atul Gambhir , vice president of Air One in New Delhi. Like the others, he too is an experienced player. He talks freely about the cash inflow in his business and says: “Tricky hai thoda sa… mujhe nahi maloom kahi aap income tax ke aadmi nikle to main kya karunga baad mein? (It is a bit tricky. If you turn out to be an income tax official then what will I do later on?)”.
He adds: “Woh to depend karta hai us time to woh party ke upar hota hai… 10-12 per cent jaane mein to 50 per cent bhi chala jaata hai. Wo dekhna parega ki party kaun si hai… party jaana bahut zaroori hai (that depends. It may be 10-12 per cent… sometimes we can even adjust 50 per cent. But that depends upon the party. Knowing the name of the party is very important)”.
When we called Atul Gambhir of Air One Aviation Pvt Ltd, he initially agreed to accept payment in cash, but when we revealed our true identity, he said he will call back in five minutes. Neither did he call nor did he answer our calls.
Interestingly, during our previous investigation on use of chartered flights by politicians in December 2014, documents procured through RTI proves that senior NCP leader Praful Patel On February 13, 2014, flew from Vadodara to Gondiya with NCP leader and former minister of state in the Ministry of Mines (Independent Charge) Dinsha Patel, in an Air One Aviation Pvt Ltd chartered jet. At that time, Patel was the minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises (January 2011 to May 2014).
Next in the line of our investigation the reporter meets Captain Pradeep Saini, CEO of Simm Samm Airways Pvt Ltd, headquarter of which is in Mumbai. Simm Samm has Beechcraft Premier 1A-jets and helicopters including Ecureuil AS350 B3 and MD900.
Saini tells our reporter how political parties use black money to pay for chartered flight services. Saini says: “BJP se payment aayi nahi hai… abhi hamara 30th tak PDP ke saath tha… abh tak jitni bhi payment aayi hai saari black mein aayi hai” (BJP has not paid till now and till 30th we were with PDP [Peoples Democratic Party]. Whatever payment we have received till now has been in black)”.
When we called Pradeep Saini of Simm Samm Airways also recalled meeting the Cobrapost correspondent. Even now he was willing to take cash. But when we told him that we are from Cobrapost, he complimented and said, “Very nice of you, very nice of you.” When we told him that our earlier conversation about him accepting cash has been recorded, he said that he never talked to us and that we can do whatever we want to do.
Here again, the earlier story by Cobrapost revealed that on 14th December, 2013, senior BJP leader and former party president Nitin Gadkari flew from Jaipur to Nagpur with his spokesperson Ashok Tandon and BJP national executive member and industrialist Rajesh Shah in a Simm Samm Airways jet. Documents of which are available with Cobrapost.
Continuing our investigation, our reporter met Neeraj Rathi, the CMD of Aryan Aviation in Mumbai. Aryan in its fleet of aircrafts has Cessna Citation I, II and III, Cessna Citation Excel, Challenger 604, Falcon 2000, Gulf Stream IV, King Air C90B, King Air C90, Pilatus, King Air B 200, King Air 350 and King Air C-90. The fleet also include helicopters like Bell 206 B3, Agusta 109 and Bell 206L3 (Single Engine).
On hearing that our reporter is a frontman for an Indian politician, Rathi talks about the current market trends in chartered flights. He says: “Zyada mat karo… normally jo market chal raha hai kareeb 20-25 per cent hai (Don’t go for a lot of it [adjustment of black money]. The present rate is 20-25 per cent).
But we want to pay at least 50 per cent in cash. Rathi agrees, and says: “50-50 kar leenge phir hum usko restructuring… contract aapke saath aapke through karenge usme to aap hame 50 ka cheque deege wo justify ho jayega. Usme jo additional kharche hai wo hata deenge… usko structure karenge… monthly commitment ko kum dikha deenge (We will do it in 50-50. We will restructure it… we will go into a contract with you if you give us cheque of 50 (percent) then it will be justified. We will remove the additional expenditures in the contract itself. We will also show the monthly commitment as less)”.
Neeraj Rathi CMD of Aryan Aviation in Mumbai. Like all others, he also remembers meeting us. But when we suggested that we would like to pay for a charter aircraft in cash, he refused to accept. On being told that we are from Cobrapost and we recorded our earlier conversation on hidden camera, he said, “Aap mujhse aa ke miliye aur mujhe bataiye kya apke pass hai… Maine aisa kuch nahin kaha tha aur I want the full recording (Come and meet me and tell me what you have with you… I never said anything like that…).”
“Mujhe pata chale ki aap kya publish kar rahe hain tabhi toh main bataunga apko uske bare mein mujhe kahna kya hai mujhe ye ahin malum hai ki aap publish kya karna chah rahe hain (I want to know what you are going to publish only then I will tell you what I have to say about it, I don’t know what you are going to publish).”
Rathi calls back after half an hour. “Haan ji janab Cobrapost se abhi apse baat hua tha mera … (Yes Sir we spoke just now, you are from Cobrapost) there is a couple of things that I want discuss and share with you … my part of the story is ye mujhe yaad hai karib 5-6 mahina pahle ek sajjan aye the (I remember around 5-6 months ago).”
He goes on to say that the person who had met him in four-five months ago talked about “long-term chartering of a helicopter and he was insisting on payment in cash, a part of the payment in cash, and if you once again please clear cut conversation through out and conversation you will feel I am registering on billing anything in cash (sic).”
He says that if a client goes to him and offers to pay in cash, accepting it is ot a crime but not showing the payment in accounts is a crime.
The reporter then meets Tejdeep Singh, general manager of Deccan Charters Ltd in Bangaluru. Deccan in its fleet of aircrafts has Bell 204 L4, Bell 206 B3 (H), Bell 412 HP, Ecureil AS355 F-1 (H), AS350 B3 (H), Pilatus PC-12 Jet and Cessna Caravan 208B- jet.
Singh says that black money can easily be adjusted for paying for chartered aircraft and that paying in cash is common.
Singh says: “Merey ko bhi… dikhana hai… kuch level tak main kar paaonga. 1 saal bolte ho… 1 saal ke liye cash to it’s a very big amount… chota mota to… cash 30 per cent we will manage. (I too… have to show… you say it for one year… it’s a very big amount… if its small then… we can manage 30 per cent).” “I have to check everything,” he adds.
Tejdeep Singh, General Manager of Deccan Charters Ltd in Bengaluru. After a bit of reminding, Tejdeep Singh remembers us. He says that he had made a proposal for us but couldn’t send it as we had not given him our email ID. He asks which type of aircraft do we want to hire?
When we ask if he can take cash, he says he can adjust 30 per cent of the payment in cash. But when we tell him we are from Cobrapost, he turns around and says that he does not wish to comment.
Aviator India Private Limited is based in Bangaluru. It has Pilatus PC12/47 aircraft. They also provide Falcon 2000, EC 15 and Gulfstream 550 aircrafts to its customers.
Our reporter met the company’s vice president S. Rao and managing director Arun Sharma in Bangaluru. On the issue of paying in cash for hiring their aircraft, Rao had this to say: “ “Sometimes 50-50 hota hai… sometimes 60-40 hota hai… depending upon the situation. Depends upon customer to customer (Sometimes it is 50-50 sometimes 60-40. It depends upon the situation. Depends upon customer to customer)”.
Arun Sharma says: “I can’t take all by cash. Some I can take… hum aapka billing alag se karenge (We will do your billing separately)”.
How will he do that? Arun Sharma says: “Woh tax hum aapse recover karke.. 150 ka humne bill de diya … 60-70 hazaar extra jo bacha hua hai wo main consultancy me kisi ko dekar unse cheque le loonga… usko cash de doonga… usse hamara 10 percent nikal jaata hai… aap bhi jaante ho paisa kamane ke liye 10 percent to lagta hai… 20 percent normally lagta hai… (We recover the tax from you and we give you bill for 150… the rest amount of 60-70 thousand we can give it for consultancy and then take a cheque for it. In this way we ca get rid of 10 percent. You too know that to earn money at least 10 percent is needed to be paid. Normally its 20 per cent)”.
This is how these air charter companies are staying afloat despite showing huge losses running into lakhs of rupees. In fact, they are a front for absorbing black money without batting an eyelid.
Next is Arun Sharma, Managing Director, Aviator India Pvt Ltd in Bengaluru. When our correspondent calls him and reminds him about chartering an aircraft and paying in cash, Sharma remembers.
Can we hire an aircraft now and pay in cash? Sharma says that it has been a while and that he will have to set up the deal all over again and that he will do “everything”.
When our correspondent reveals that he is from Cobrapost, Sharma says. “We don’t … we won’t do that… we can’t do anything… aapse hamara koi transaction nahi hua hai (we have not had any transaction with you) … It is not possible… we very knew very well that you are not going to be you are not in position to charter, we knew it very well.”
This is how these air charter companies are staying afloat despite showing huge losses running into lakhs of rupees. In fact, they are a front for absorbing black money without batting an eyelid.
