Every company that flies charters for hire in India needs a DGCA Non-Scheduled Operator Permit (NSOP), and DGCA publishes the list of permit holders with the aircraft on each permit. We counted it.
The headline numbers
DGCA’s list of non-scheduled operators, as on 31 August 2026, has 139 permit holders and 471 aircraft. By type:
- 225 helicopters
- 150 business jets
- 57 turboprops (King Air, Pilatus PC-12, Cessna Caravan, Piaggio Avanti)
- 20 light piston and training-type aircraft
- 8 airliner-type aircraft, such as an A319 corporate jet, Boeing 737s and a Dornier 228
- 11 hot air balloons
We grouped aircraft by family because DGCA’s list writes the same type in different ways (for example “AS350B3”, “AS 350 B3” and “ECUREUIL AS350B3”). Every aircraft in the list falls into one group.
Helicopters outnumber jets
Helicopters make up almost half the fleet. Alongside private charters, Indian helicopter operators also fly offshore, government, pilgrimage and medical work. The largest helicopter fleets belong to Pawan Hans (36), Global Vectra Helicorp (26) and Heligo Charters (16). Read which helicopters India’s operators fly.
The business jet fleet
The 150 business jets sit with 70 different operators. The biggest single jet fleet is VSR Ventures, with 12 business jets among its 17 fixed-wing aircraft, followed by Karnavati Aviation with 9. The most common families are the Embraer Legacy 600/650 and Cessna Citation (21 each), Hawker (19), Dassault Falcon 2000 (18) and Bombardier Global (17). See business jet types you can charter in India.
Mostly small operators
57 of the 139 permit holders have a single aircraft. 73 fly only fixed-wing aircraft, 43 only helicopters, and 22 both. For a traveller, that means the same route can be quoted by very different companies, which is why checking the operator matters.
Where the jets are registered
Operators with a Delhi address hold 62 business jets, Maharashtra 27, Gujarat 25, and Karnataka and Telangana 9 each. More in where India’s charter operators are based.
Using the numbers
Search the full list in our charter operator directory, filtered by state or by fixed-wing and helicopter fleets. To fly on one of these aircraft, request a quote on our charter page, check current empty legs, or follow empty leg deals on the WhatsApp channel. BookAir explains how operators are vetted and how charter prices are built.
Common questions
How many private charter aircraft are there in India?
DGCA’s list of Non-Scheduled Operator Permit holders as on 31 August 2026 has 471 aircraft across 139 operators.
How many business jets can be chartered in India?
150 business jets were listed on NSOP permits as on 31 August 2026, held by 70 operators.
Which charter operator has the largest fleet in India?
Pawan Hans Ltd, with 36 helicopters on its permit. The largest business jet fleet is VSR Ventures, with 12.
Sources
General information, checked against the sources above on the date published. It is not legal, regulatory or medical advice. Rules change, so confirm with DGCA or the relevant authority before acting.