The COVID-19 Pandemic hit some people harder than others, and there are many who had to be separated from their families and loved ones. Many pet owners who were away from home when the lockdown started couldn't make it back home, and they are now dearly missing their furry friends.
A 25-year-old woman from India decided to do something about it; Along with the Accretion Aviation Rahul Muchhal, Cybersecurity researcher Deepika Singh decided to use a private jet to get pets back to their humans during the lockdown.
According to the Times Now News, Singh got the idea after ferrying her aunt from Delhi to Mumbai to look after her.
A few of my friends recently took a jet to Goa and it made me think if the same could be done for vulnerable groups such as the senior citizens, for whom commercial flights might be risky, and for pets, who usually travel through cargo shipments, to reach home safely,
Singh told others about the idea through WhatsApp. Initially planning on chartering flights for both pets and people, she learned that not everyone wants to fly alongside animals.
“I then got in touch with Rahul Muchhal of Accretion Aviation and we worked out an all-pet private jet that could transport canines and also birds and other pets that have gotten left behind in this lockdown.”
So far, four seats have been saved for two Shih Tzus, a Golden Retriever, and a Lady Pheasant bird. According to The Print, Shih Tzus Finishia and Michelle belong to Harvinder Kaur, 58, of Chembur. Kaur was forced to leave home, and leave her dogs with relatives, when COVID-19 first spread across Asia. When she heard about Singh’s project, she was immediately interested.
“I did not care about money. They are like my children. I miss them terribly,”
Kaur told The Print.
Once a few more spaces are booked, Singh will give Muchhal the go ahead to fly the animals to their loved ones, but she needs enough people to book space to justify the cost of the flight and not everyone can afford the price
“The cost per seat stands at Rs 1.6 lakhs which is already steep and if we do not have more passenger it will become even costlier,”
she added
The flight will be piloted by a human, of course, while keeping human passengers off the flight will reduce the chance of transmitting COVID-19.