Intl travellers daunted by security clearance process

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International private jet travellers are raring to come to India. They are daunted by the home ministry's security clearance process than the lack of adequate facilities at airports, reports CNBC-TV18's Vivian Fernandez and Nitin George.

 

 

One of them described it as a sensory overload, a ride on rickshaws when we tracked them down in Varanasi. There are 74 of them, all of them high net worth and most of them Americans. For 21-days they will do the rounds of India in a specially configured private jet. They have paid 43,000 dollars each for the visit and they will spend much more on shopping. India may be welcoming, but the intelligence bureau is not, for it wants seven clear working days to give security clearance for the flight.

 

 

"I think you can relax that rule because it means 10-11 days since you are not counting weekends and public holidays." says Vivian Peres, Director of Ventours International.

 

 

That rule perhaps was made after the Purulia arm dropping incident in 1994.  But Dubai takes only a day and so does Singapore. Japan is worse than India though, it is said to take two weeks.

 

 

"Too many bureaucrats stamping something I don't think that's necessary, I think some of the security, I think some of it is over done, should be an easy way to get through" adds Roe Green, President, the Roe Green Foundation.

 

 

But there is another hassle. The intelligence bureau wants 30 days to vet each of the international private jet passengers if they land in airbases Agra and Jodhpur, which also happen to be must-see tourist destinations. But if they fly commercial into India, and hire an aircraft here, then security clearance takes just three days.

 

 

"I am sure that the 30-day period can be brought done since our embassies have prior information. In the interest of tourism we need to take a look at removing this rule" says Vivian Peres, Director, Ventours International

 

Ventours International handles about two-dozens such flights, but most of them are the India leg of world tours. it says it can easily handle about 30 India-specific tours of about 3 weeks.

 

 

Apart from security issues, airport facilities are an issue.  A private jet flying to Aurangabad for the Ellora caves has to park overnight in Jaipur.  Air force in Agra insists on 3,700 meters of visibility even though some aircraft can see at 1500 meters. One is not saying things can change overnight, but now is the time to start. Since 9/11, about 7,000 private jets have been sold in the US alone. That is a lot of high spending tourist potential that India can tap into.