Happy Birthday Mrs. Ambani

"Mumbai: Business magnate Mukesh Ambani's new "flying
office" worth nearly Rs 245 crore quietly arrived at Mumbai
Airport early Friday.

The gleaming white-bodied aircraft with blue stripes, has
been parked in Reliance's private hangar near Kalina, the
southern end of the domestic airport.

The Airbus A-319 aircraft, described as a "flying palace" by
airport officials in the know, has been given the
registration number VT-IAH.

Kept under tight security, it is off bounds for all, except
the concerned airport, security and Reliance personnel, the
officials told IANS.

In a special gesture to Mukesh, who stands now 14 on the
Forbes list of the world's billionaires, a top Airbus
Industrie official personally flew down in the aircraft to
"hand" it over to the Reliance big boss, aviation sources said.

Though a Reliance spokesperson in Mumbai remained
"unavailable" for an official version, independent sources
said that the customized jet was expected last April.

Originally, it was accepted as a 'green delivery', meaning
that the aircraft was taken absolutely bare without any of
the usual trappings. "It is akin to buying a bare skeletal
flat without even the tiles or paint and then getting it
done as per your choice," the sources explained.

Later, a team of experts guided by Reliance officials
planned out its complete customisation at the Associated Air
Centre, Dallas, US.

Among the top-class facilities the aircraft has been
equipped with include a plush corporate office, a boardroom
for holding top-level meetings in the sky, satellite
communications, a master bedroom with an attached toilet,
galleys and a lounge with a sky-bar.

All this has cost an estimated US $15 million (about Rs 60
crore), in addition to the aircraft cost.

The delivery of the aircraft was scheduled end-April 2007.
However, aviation sources say, it was delayed mainly because
of the lavish interiors that have been done.

But, it proved to be a blessing — it happily coincided with
wife Nita's birthday on Thursday.

This will also make Mukesh among the four-dozen odd Indian
corporate bigwigs who now own their private corporate
aircraft, either 8-seater jets or helicopters.

"But a private jet of the size of A-319, which is usually a
100-120-seater operated by the passenger fleet of Kingfisher
Airlines and Air Deccan, is owned only by another Indian,
Vijay Mallya," the sources explained.

Among the other prominent owners a Tata group with three
aircraft, Raymond with one aircraft and three choppers,
Larsen & Toubro one aircraft, Mallya two, including an
8-seater, Oberoi Hotels group a private jet based in Delhi
and racing enthusiast Cyrus Poonawala of Mumbai."
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