Thiruvananthapuram: An invoice that has surfaced in connection with chief minister V D Satheesan’s chartered flight to Kozhikode on Sept 21 shows Chipsan Aviation Pvt Ltd as the billed party, though the authenticity of the document could not be independently verified.The invoice, purportedly issued by Kelachandra Logistics Pvt Ltd, is dated Sept 21 and addressed to Chipsan Aviation’s Delhi office. It lists a Phenom 100 aircraft and the sector as Jindal–Thiruvananthapuram–Calicut–Thiruvananthapuram–Jindal, apparently referring to Jindal airport in Bellary, Karnataka. The document shows a charter charge of Rs 19,88,595.The invoice does not, by itself, establish who ultimately bore the cost of the flight or whether the amount was paid. It only indicates that Chipsan Aviation was billed for the charter. Satheesan travelled by the aircraft from Thiruvananthapuram to Kozhikode to visit areas affected by the rain-related disaster in Malappuram. He has said the flight was arranged by an acquaintance but declined to identify the person, saying there was no need to publicise the name of someone who had helped him travel. He has also maintained that the state govt incurred no expenditure on the journey.The invoice has surfaced as Chipsan Aviation seeks a fresh arrangement with the state govt for helicopter services. The company’s three-year contract to provide a helicopter to the govt expired on Sept 19. Under the agreement, the govt paid Rs 80 lakh a month for up to 25 flying hours, irrespective of actual utilisation. Chipsan has since submitted a fresh proposal for a pay-per-use arrangement.If authenticated, the invoice would show that Chipsan Aviation was billed for the chartered flight used by the chief minister two days after its helicopter contract with the state govt expired. It would not, however, establish whether Chipsan bore the cost, merely arranged the charter on behalf of another person, or whether the transaction was connected in any way with its proposal for a fresh govt contract. The document also does not establish whether the billed amount was actually paid.
