Book My Charters, a Mumbai-based outfit that operates a fleet of private jets as well as helicopters and luxury yachts, has seen a 60 per cent increase in inquiries since May 25, according to its 28-year-old CEO Sachit Wadhwa. Most new clients already had the means to fly privately but had opted for commercial flights instead “because it seemed flamboyant to go on a private jet,” he said. “But with safety paramount in their minds now, they are opting for this.”

Kanika Tekriwal, CEO and founder of fellow charter operation Jet Set Go Aviation, said she receives about 20 enquiries every day – again, mostly from first timers.

Apart from the stress of commercial flying, there is also the need to wear protective gear, practise social distancing during the boarding process and avoid eating while on board. Passengers are often told of cancellations at the last minute and there have been reports of connecting flights failing to arrive, forcing people to wait up to 10 hours for the next one.

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“I was bringing my elderly mother from Mangalore back to Delhi and, with an eight-hour wait at Bangalore, the entire journey took us 17 hours. It was exhausting for us both,” said a gynaecologist who works in the Indian capital and did not want to be named.

With many sectors of India’s economy ravaged by the lockdown, private plane companies are among the few to be flourishing.

“It’s a no-brainer. Just think of the advantages. You arrive 30 minutes before the flight, you get to sit in a separate lounge, you board the plane in 20 minutes and you are travelling in your own bubble with family and friends who you know are safe and no risk,” said Sanket Raj Singh, the 36-year-old founder of the Delhi-based aviation start-up Prince Air.

He said he expects India to see a similar surge in demand for private planes – around 200-300 per cent -that has been experienced in other countries amid the pandemic.

India on Thursday reported nearly 25,000 new coronavirus infections, bringing its total to more than 767,000. With only the US and Brazil recording more cases, rich Indians are unlikely to be enticed back to commercial flights any time soon.

“Safety is going to be the primary consideration. It’s not just avoiding the crowds. It’s also that people know it’s easier and quicker to fumigate and sanitise a private jet. These things matter,” Singh said.

Much of the demand for private jets comes from the wealthy of Delhi and Mumbai, where coronavirus cases are surging. Stories of people struggling to get hospital beds and images on television of gigantic Covid-19 care centres the size of 20 soccer pitches being set up have generated anxiety among the rich, even if they are largely insulated from many of the pandemic’s worst effects.

Some are using private jets for business, to avoid overnight stays in hotels that have only just reopened, while in Delhi the main airport has recognised the surge in demand and plans to open a new terminal exclusively for private jets – the country’s first.

During the lockdown, the airport handled between eight and 10 flights daily, mostly for medical emergencies, but since May 25, it has been handling around 30 flights a day.

The new terminal will sport an ultra-luxurious lounge and parking space for 65 jets of all sizes, officials say, while also promising to reduce taxiing time for private aircraft.

“For corporate people like me, it makes sense [to fly privately],” said Kanika Madhok, 40, who flies all over India for her home product and textile manufacturing business.

She has never flown on a private jet before, but plans to soon. “With separate entrances and separate lounges, I will feel much safer,” she said.