Samsu, the helicopter pilot, said many of his clients worked for telecommunications firms. Some rented his helicopter on 20-hour contracts.
The 44-year-old entrepreneur who transferred to Sumatra from Jakarta said he's in such high demand he often sends prospective clients to his competitors.
Indonesia's debt-ridden national airline, Garuda, was experiencing booming business.
Banda Aceh's once sleepy airport transformed into an international hub for relief workers, with thousands of aid workers needing flights.
Garuda, which had previously operated two flights a day into Banda Aceh, increased its service to as many as 10 flights daily, said airline spokesman Pujobroto, who goes by a single name.
International conglomerates have given tonnes of aid to tsunami-stricken countries -- and would prefer to focus on that rather than tsunami-related revenue.
Danone, the food and drink conglomerate, has donated 1 million bottles of its mineral water Aqua, the top-selling bottled water in Indonesia.
It has also given 1 million packs of Danone biscuits and 400,000 bottles of milk -- though that is just a fraction of the Danone products purchased by aid workers for distribution.
Stefanus Felix, a spokesman, said Danone was selling its products at a "special price" to humanitarian groups but declined to elaborate.
"Talking about business in a situation like this," he said, "I don't think it's appropriate."
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