Selling Indians a 'flight' for less than a dollar
Gupta has come up with a scheme where the poor can get the experience of a flight without leaving the ground
PHOTO: BBC
While some Indians fly across the globe in their private jets, there are some who have never had the luxury of seeing one from up close.
However, Bahadur Chand Gupta, a pilot by profession, began a project through which the poor people from his village could sit in an old Airbus 300 parked on the outskirts of Delhi and learn the etiquette of flying along with emergency exit training.
"I belonged to a very small village and when I became a pilot, everyone wanted to see the aircraft. It was almost impossible to take them inside the airport," Gupta said.
Read: Poverty pushes children from school straight into unforgiving labour
"As soon as I got a chance, I bought this aircraft, showed them around the cockpit and passenger cabin, treated them with sweets and biscuits but never charged the poor," he added.
The overwhelmed passengers received boarding passes and were made to sit on the seats allocated to them- they were given the basic instructions which an air steward usually does before take off, they were asked to fasten their seat belts and were also served some snacks.
"80 per cent of them can't even dream of buying an air ticket hence they come here to live their dream- just to touch the plane. They had a lot of curiosity, but sadly never the money to buy a ticket," Gupta said.
He further added he began a training program, fulfilling the demand of students and young villagers.
Read: Two billion people surviving on ‘poor’ diet
One of the passengers said "It feels wonderful. I live right next to the airport and have always fascinated by the planes flying above- this is the first time I am in an actual plane."
While another described it as a dream come true. "I always wished to get a chance to sit in a plane and fly- its overwhelming. We can now finally say that we have not only seen a plane but also sat inside one and we know all about flying."
For those people who may never get to take a real flight, Gupta has come up with a scheme where they can still get a taste of the experience without leaving the ground.
This article originally appeared on BBC
However, Bahadur Chand Gupta, a pilot by profession, began a project through which the poor people from his village could sit in an old Airbus 300 parked on the outskirts of Delhi and learn the etiquette of flying along with emergency exit training.
"I belonged to a very small village and when I became a pilot, everyone wanted to see the aircraft. It was almost impossible to take them inside the airport," Gupta said.
Read: Poverty pushes children from school straight into unforgiving labour
"As soon as I got a chance, I bought this aircraft, showed them around the cockpit and passenger cabin, treated them with sweets and biscuits but never charged the poor," he added.
The overwhelmed passengers received boarding passes and were made to sit on the seats allocated to them- they were given the basic instructions which an air steward usually does before take off, they were asked to fasten their seat belts and were also served some snacks.
"80 per cent of them can't even dream of buying an air ticket hence they come here to live their dream- just to touch the plane. They had a lot of curiosity, but sadly never the money to buy a ticket," Gupta said.
He further added he began a training program, fulfilling the demand of students and young villagers.
Read: Two billion people surviving on ‘poor’ diet
One of the passengers said "It feels wonderful. I live right next to the airport and have always fascinated by the planes flying above- this is the first time I am in an actual plane."
While another described it as a dream come true. "I always wished to get a chance to sit in a plane and fly- its overwhelming. We can now finally say that we have not only seen a plane but also sat inside one and we know all about flying."
For those people who may never get to take a real flight, Gupta has come up with a scheme where they can still get a taste of the experience without leaving the ground.
This article originally appeared on BBC