An Indian mega-party is attracting so many private jets that officials set up extra passport control for all the VIPs
Asia's richest family, the Ambanis, are hosting a lavish pre-wedding party for scion Anant in Gujarat, India, causing airport chaos.
SUJIT JAISWAL/AFP via Getty Images
- India's Ambani family is hosting a three-day pre-wedding party, attracting the world's elite.
- Guests like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Ivanka Trump, led to a surge in private jets at the local airport.
- Government officials agreed to set up a passport-control center especially for the event.
The party of the month (year?) is underway in India, and the local airport is pulling out all the stops to cope.
The Ambani family is hosting a bash for one of its scions, Anant, to get married to Radhika Merchant.
The Ambanis are Asia's richest family, with its patriarch Mukesh Ambani worth $111 billion.
Bloomberg has him 11th on its Billionaire Index, thanks to the vast wealth of his company Reliance Industries. Ajit Solanki/AP
He's a touch behind Google founder Sergei Brin and ahead of Mexico's Carlos Slim, once the richest man on earth.
This isn't the actual wedding, which is in July. It's a pre-wedding party, and is due to go on for three days in Reliance Township in the Indian state of Gujarat.
Joining the fun are Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Fink, Ivanka Trump, and an array of the richest and most famous people in India. Rihanna is performing.
That kind of guestlist brings a long trail of private jets and the local airport in Jamnagar isn't built for it. -
An article posted by India's The Hindu newspaper marveled at the 150 planes descending at roughly the same time.
It said around 50 of them were private jets coming from other countries, meaning passport control for their occupants.
If you think that might mean billionaires irately standing in line, like they had to at Davos, you would be wrong.
An airport official told The Hindu that he'd spoken to the Indian government and laid on some extra capacity for the powerful guests.
"With the permission of the Government of India, we have set up a Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) centre at the airport. This is meant to facilitate the international visitors landing directly at Jamnagar," DK Singh, the airport's director, said.
Everyone, it seems, is determined to make the party an impressive one.
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