OVER COLOMBO - Once at 1,500 feet up in the sky, a young Sri Lankan popped the question to his girlfriend “will you marry me”. The words didn’t come from his mouth but was etched on the sand of the Panadura beach, courtesy the Deccan Aviation team.
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| From left - Duke De Zoysa – 1st officer, Hirantha Perera – Captain, Denham Schokman – Director/CEO, Ishan Munaweera – Manager Business Development, Sumudu Ellepola – Coordinator Sales & Marketing, Dushan Pamunuwa – Executive Assistant to the Director's Office and K. L. A. C. Gunawardene – Aviation Security Officer in front of the Air Caravan. |
“He popped champagne and celebrated when his wife-to-be agreed, laughingly, on board the aircraft. She was surprised and it was meant to be a surprise,” said an amused airline Director/CEO Denham Schokman, as a Business Times team flew over clumps of trees and beautiful green patches of rice fields in Kalutara.
“Did they get married? Oh I don’t know, we lost touch,” he laughed. Deccan was taking a group of Business Times journalists on a scenic 30-minute flight from Colombo to Kalutara and back on its new 8-seater Air caravan.
The 7-year old domestic charter airline which has a capacity of 10 seats through a helicopter and fixed wing aircraft has seen it all on its chartered flights– sprinkling flowers on a funeral procession, releasing leaflets for a food drink company, or flying a wedding couple from their home in Wennapuwa to a nearby church.
Much of the ‘wedding’ assignments have come from Wennapuwa or ‘little Italy’ (just beyond Negombo) as it is called owing to a large segment of residents whose relatives are living in Italy. “In the post-war period, we get a lot of wedding bookings from Wennapuwa,” he said.
The charter airliner has carried a mix of celebrities and in the post war period finds it flying many business persons to Kalpitiya, Passekudah, Ampara and Trincomalee looking at sites for resorts or boutique hotels.
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| View of the Kalutara Bodhi from 1000 feet. Pix by J.Weerasekara |
“Some of them come in their own jets, park it at Katunayake and climb into our 2-seater helicopter or 8-seater Air Caravan that takes them to their location and back,” Mr Schokman added, while pointing out to the famous Kalutara temple which looked imposing from the air. So was the famous Kalutara bridge.
As the small aircraft turns back at Kalutara, the chief pilot radios air control and asks for permission to drop to 1,000 feet from 1,500 feet. “Control tower – can we drop to 1,000 feet at least for seven kilometers?” he asks and an affirmative response comes from the controller, through the radio.
The 8-seater caravan takes the reporters, crew and Deccan officials over rice fields, large green patches, lakes, rivers and waterways reflecting the stunning beauty of Sri Lanka, which is much nicer and memorable from just 1,000 feet above.
The airline has close to 200 landing sites for its helicopter and 14 landing sites for the fixed wing aircraft (Air Caravan) across the country. “We have identified these sites and made arrangements with the owners of these properties when we need to land on these sites. Sometimes (even) the airforce checks from us about possible landing sites,” he said.
Started in July 2004, Deccan Aviation’s solitary helicopter was pressed into service for the December tsunami – being hired by media crews and other companies for humanitarian work. “That was a great experience for the team,” he said.
With the business growing, the company plans to get another, larger 7-seater helicopter to add to its small fleet.
As part of its premium services, Deccan Aviation provides a fast track escorted service for guests who board their flight from the Bandaranaike International Airport. It also provides ground transport for guests to and from the takeoff and landing points with a fleet of chauffeur driven luxury vehicles.
Of the 169 GA8 Airvans in operation around the world today, Deccan Aviation is the only company that has invested in customising its GA8 aircraft to such a great extent, according to officials.
Among the special features of the aeroplane are plush leather seats, carpeted flooring, custom fitted personal music systems with individual noise cancelling headsets and DVD screen with plug and play music options. Added to this are the large curved winows which afford excellent visibility for every passenger.
“You name it, we can tailor-make our services to serve any need – funerals, weddings, popping-the-(marriage)-question… we have done it all,” said Mr Schokman cheerfully, as he showed the Business Times around the hanger and other offices of the company, after the reporters were firmly on the ground. |
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