Construction czar Ajit Gulabchand is first in India to buy a Hawker 4000u00a0one of the world's most luxurious business jets

The economic slowdown is surely over for India Inc with one of the world's most luxuri-ous super-midsize business jets flying into Mumbai for construction tycoon Ajit Gulabchand.

The chairman and MD of Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) has acquired a Hawker 4000.

The Hawker 400 is made by Beechcraft, which has its headquarters in Kansas, USA.

Priced at $22.2 million (about Rs 103 crore), Gulabchand's dream plane is now parked at the old airport area in Mumbai.
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It was ordered by HCC in early 2008 when the construction business was not impacted by the economic slowdown.

In the Lap of Luxury: Inside the Hawker 4000

Incidentally, most people who book this jet go through with the deal as they pay five per cent as a booking amount. This amount is not returned on cancelling the order.

InterGlobe General Aviation delivered the flying marvel to HCC in late September, following checks and clearances from the Director General of Civil Aviation.

Nigel Harwood, CEO, InterGlobe General Aviation, said, "The Hawker 4000... is a fitting choice for the Indian business community who wish to combine luxury with efficiency and price."

Aviation experts are impressed by its sophisticated composite fuselage, powerful Pratt and Whitney Canada engines and state-of-the-art Honeywell Primus EPIC avionics.

This Hawker 4000 is the first of three planes to be delivered in the coming months, and suggests that the economic slowdown is a thing of the past.

Expensive upkeep

Experts say the upkeep of the Hawker is equally expensive. It calls for about a hundred employees, including pilots, crewmembers, ground staff and engineers.
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The operation cost of a business jet is around Rs 10 lakh a month, Kapil Kaul of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation said.

Gulabchand remained unavailable for comment.

Owners' Pride

> Jack DeBoer: The American businessman was the owner of the first Hawker 4000 in June 2008.
> Adam Katz: Real estate developer and owner of luxury charter service Talon Air.
> Jordan Grand Prix Racing Team
> Flight Options LLC (formerly Raytheon Travel Air)
> Executive Jets Inc for NetJets fractional ownership service in the US and Europe.

Ajit Gulabchand (pictured above), who has now joined the league, heads Hindustan Construction Company, which recently completed the Bandra-Worli Sea Link

For Long Hauls

The Hawker 4000 can carry a two-man crew and nine passengers over distances of up to 3,280 nautical miles (the approximate distance between Mumbai and Vienna).

Other Jet Setters
Mukesh Ambani: Owns a Bombardier Global Express, Gulf Stream IV, Falcon 900 EX Easy, Airbus A319
Anil Ambani: Owns a Falcon 2000, Bombardier Global Express