With the pandemic and lockdowns going on around the world, many people have been forced to be separated from their pets. And it breaks our hearts thinking about how these pets must be missing their owners. However, there are some people who don’t mind going an extra mile to be reunited with their fur kids.
Six pets that are stranded in Delhi due to the Covid-19 lockdown would get to enjoy an “all-pets” flight from Delhi to Mumbai, India.
This initiative was taken up by a 25-year-old woman, Deepika Singh, when she intended to arrange a jet to bring her stranded relatives back to Mumbai. She revealed that some of the relatives refused to travel with pets, thus this led to the idea of arranging a pets-only flight.
“Some people wanted to travel with their pets but when the others refused, I decided to arrange for another jet,” she told ThePrint.
Therefore, the cybersecurity researcher approached Accretion Aviation – an aggregator of private jets, helicopters and yachts – to arrange a six-seater private jet. According to ThePrint, the entire jet costs Rs 9.06 lakh (about RM51,172), and a single seat is Rs 1.60 lakh (about RM9037).
Woah, guess that’s not a lot of money for the owners who really wants to see their fur kids!
“I contacted a private company. They agreed to give a plane for pets. Till now, four people have agreed to bring their pets from Delhi to Mumbai,” said Deepika.
One of the pet owners, Harvinder Kaur, has two 14-month-old Shih Tzus living with her relatives in Delhi. She had to leave her dogs due to a family emergency, and since a friend of hers introduced Deepika to her, she’s immediately showed interest.
“I did not care about money. They are like my children. I miss them terribly,” expressed Harvinder.
So far, four seats has been secured, leaving two vacant. Deepika is still waiting for two more pets to fill the jet so the plane can take off.
The owner of Accretion Aviation, Rahul Muchhal, mentioned that the plane will be ready to fly in the second week of June. He also revealed that most people who charter private jets travel with their pets, but the pets are required to be in cages during the flight.
This particular protocol will be followed for Deepika’s all-pet jet as well. Other than the cage requirement, the animals will be screened before boarding, and their temperatures will be taken as well.
Deepika said that so far, she is only arranging one jet to Mumbai, and if she gets a good response, she would consider expanding the operation to other states in India.
Wow! This is indeed good news for the pet owners in India. We can imagine how helpful this service is for people to see their pets again amid such uncertain circumstances.
Also read: Pet Abandonment Cases Rise By 300% Due To MCO, Says Malaysia Animal Association
