Interviews

In a candid interview,Mr. Rohit Kapur, President of Sales,Asia Pacific, JetHQ briefs Vishal Kashyap, Managing Editor, Aviation World about the current status of Business Aviation in India, the projections and the much talked about fractional ownership. Excerpts: Q: Kindly brief us about JetHQ and its business presence? A: Jet HQ is a dedicated global aircraft brokerage company with a worldwide presence. Incorporated in 2012 in Dubai, it is now headquartered in the USA, with its international office in Dubai. We specialize in assisting our clients for sale and acquisition of aircraft from the pre-owned market. With approximately 40 employees globally, we have a presence in the US, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, India and Asia Pacific We also have an in-house legal and market analytics team to assist you clients with their needs under one roof. Though we specialize in business jets of all categories, Jet HQ is also active in the sale of helicopter, turbo-props, trainer aircraft and airliners/cargo aircraft, if there is a need by our clients. Our vast global network with aircraft financers, ground handling companies, aircraft management companies, aircraft insurers etc. goes a long way and helping us to provide a holistic solution for aircraft ownership to our clients. Q: How do you see the evolution of Business Jet demand in Asia specially India in the last few years? A: Business aircraft demand in India, as in the rest of the world has seen a tremendous growth in post Covid time. In fact, the demand for private aircraft started spiking during Covid, and has steadily increased after that, with 2022 and 2023 seeing very high demand for private aircraft. The trend continues in 2024, Most OEMS have struggled to keep pace with the supply chain issues due to the disruption caused by Covid, and lead times for new aircraft have reached an all-time high of two years or more. In such a scenario, the demands for pre-owned aircraft have spiked, with the pre-owned aircraft inventory seeing an all-time low in the past few years. This is a global phenomenon. Maximum transactions have taken place in the US, with similar trends in the rest of the world, including Asia and India. Q: What’s the current Business Jet Market size of Asia and what’s the projection for next 5-10 years? A: As per a recent market report published by Asia Sky Group, the Business Jet fleet in Asia stands at 1154 at the end of 2023, which has seen a 0.2% increase from 2022, after seeing a decline in 2021 and 2022, mainly due to decrease of aircraft from Mainland China. The global average growth of business jets is predicted to be 4.4% for the next five years, as per the Global Jet Capital report. Q: In terms of aircraft type, which category is mostly preferred by Indian operators? Any average comparison you would like to mention with other growing market? A: The demand for small to mid-size aircraft is quite high in India, especially in the charter segment. There is also a demand for helicopters and turbo-props in this segment. For users in the private category, especially the corporate, the demand is higher for mid-size to large business jets, and also larger twin-engine helicopters. This is a global trend. However, in the US, Europe and China, there have been a number of aircraft charter operators who provide a service with large cabin, long range jets, something which has not yet picked up in the Indian market, where charter operators are mainly catering to the domestic charters. Q: How do you see GIFT City as really transforming the leasing process of aircraft in India? A: Though a welcome step, GIFT city is still work in progress, and a number of issues are being addressed by the government. It is a good concept to facilitate Indian aircraft operators, especially the airlines. Since I am not an expert on this subject, this is best answered by the experts dealing in GIFT city matters. Q:Your views on Fractional ownership in India. How do you see it in terms of ease as well as challenges? A: Fractional ownership is well-established way of aircraft ownership in the US and Europe. It allows discerning owners to own a fraction of an aircraft, along with other people, and be available for their use, when they need it. This is very helpful for the entry level buyers for aircraft, who have limited use, but still want to fly privately and do not want to be faced with the uncertainty of looking for aircraft to charter. The aircraft management companies run the program on behalf of the fractional owners, so they are not burdened with complex operational and safety issues. This is a welcome step in India, and is long overdue. It requires a synergy between the operational and financial regulation due to the implications of part ownership. I am given to understand the process is well-underway, and we shall soon see the implementation of fractional ownership in India. We welcome it.

In an Exclusive Interview, Mr. Anupam Vig, General Manager – India for Finnair speaks with Vishal Kashyap, Managing Editor, Aviation World and briefs about the peak summer demand of passengers to Europe, particularly the Nordic region.Finnair specializes in connecting passengers between Asia, the Middle East, North America, and Europe, and is the only airline offering year-round direct flights to Lapland. Excerpts: .   Q: What are the sectors that Finnair is operating at present in India? What about the upcoming sectors? A: We currently run up to 7 weekly flights between Delhi and Helsinki and are continually evaluating our flight network to adapt to market dynamics. While specific changes or additions are subject to ongoing analysis, Finnair remains committed to optimising its operations for the benefit of customer. Q: Which flight type is being operated, number of weekly flights and seat configuration it has from India? A: Finnair operates its A330 fleet for long-haul flights to India, offering Business, Premium Economy, and Economy Class seat configurations. Finnair is currently the only airline offering the majority of direct flights from New Delhi to Helsinki, operating up to 7 weekly flights with exceptional punctuality and reliability. The convenience of direct flights eliminates the need for layovers, making it an attractive option for travellers seeking a hassle-free and efficient travel experience. Q: What is the average return ticket price in each class configuration between Delhi and Helsinki? A: The average return ticket price between Delhi and Helsinki varies depending on the time of booking. For the upcoming week in June, the average prices are as follows – Economy Classic starts from INR 49500, Premium Economy starts from INR 96000, and Business Class starts from INR 1,47500. These prices reflect the current rates and may fluctuate based on demand and booking times. Q: How do you see the peak summer surge in demand from India? What is the year-round review in terms of pax load? A: We don’t disclose any route-specific figures, but we are witnessing a good demand fuelled by several factors such as the fascinating summer phenomenon of the Midnight Sun or Northern Lights sightings in Finland. At Finnair, we are well-positioned to capitalise on these trends by offering frequent flights from Helsinki to destinations such as Lapland in Finland and Bodø in Norway, enhancing the appeal of Nordic summer experiences. Overall, the load factors have been encouraging, reflecting the resilience of air travel demand. Q: Could you focus on the code share arrangement, and which sectors it mainly caters to? A: Finnair is part of the oneworld alliance and has a code-share arrangement with 13 of the world’s leading airlines, including American Airlines, British Airways, and Qatar Airways, among others. This extensive network of connectivity allows us to cater to a wide range of sectors, providing the highest level of service and convenience across more than 1,000 destinations in over 170 countries and territories worldwide. Through these partnerships, we ensure seamless travel experiences and enhanced connectivity for our customers. Q:Recently, Finnair completed its long-haul cabin refurbishment program. How is the pax experience with all new in-flight configurations? A: Finnair has successfully completed the rollout of its new 200-million-euro long-haul cabin renewal, with the airline’s entire long-haul fleet of A350s and A330s now refurbished. This extensive project included the launch of an entirely new Business Class seat, a brand-new Premium Economy cabin, and a refreshed Economy Class, enhancing the onboard experience for all customers. Customers can now enjoy a consistent Finnair experience on all long-haul routes between Helsinki and destinations in the US, Middle East, and Asia. Finnair was the launch customer for the brand-new concept in Business Class seats, developed in close collaboration with Collins Aerospace. Designed to maximise space, the unique fixed shell lounge seat enables a wide variety of sitting and sleeping positions, allowing customers to make the space their own during a relaxing long-haul flight. The cabin has been inspired by Finnair’s Nordic design language and warm, dark, comforting colour scheme – following the palette and design of the airline’s non-Schengen lounges, unveiled at Helsinki Airport pre-pandemic. Since its launch in 2022, customer feedback on our revolutionary Business Class seat and brand-new Premium Economy cabin has been excellent, so we are proud to be able to offer the renewed cabin on flights to all our long-haul destinations.The new long-haul experience was named ‘Cabin Concept of the Year’ winner by Onboard Hospitality, ‘Best Cabin Innovation’ winner by APEX, and ‘Best Cabin (First & Business Class)’ at the Yacht and Aviation Awards. Finnair’s product was also praised by judges at the Crystal Cabin Awards and Skytrax, the global benchmark of airline excellence. Q: For Indian transit passengers, do they require a transit visa at Helsinki? A: No, currently there is no Finland Transit Visa-on-Arrival option for Indian citizens. A Schengen visa is required for transiting to or from an intra-Schengen flight or for going to a hotel or into town in Helsinki during a long layover.

“India has grown to be one of our top markets at Skyscanner. We have seen spectacular growth coming for both International and Domestic travel, with international bookings via Skyscanner +121 per cent ahead of 2019 levels and Domestic bookings +639% above 2019 levels. In the first week of January 2024 alone, India saw an increase of 35 per cent in searches when compared to the same period in 2023. We have seen a strong demand for travel in the Indian market that is growing rapidly. Based on our data, searches from India have grown by over 55 per cent in 2023 compared to 2022,” Hugh Aitken. In the Media Roundtable, Hugh Aitken, VP,Strategic Relations and Development, Skyscanner shares his views about Sky Scanner presence in India, the opportunities it sees in this market, role and value of meta search engines ,booking patterns across the region and relation with the partner community. What are some of the opportunities that Skyscanner sees in the travel market and how it is catering to the need of Indian travelers? Skyscanner is a global travel marketplace, where we have over 120 million unique visitors who come to us globally and then over 100 million downloads globally, about 100 million registered accounts of travellers who come back to us regularly as well. And, if I think about the flight searches, age group between 20 and 25 start their flight searches in Skyscanner. Skyscanner is over 20 years old now, started in Edinburgh in Scotland, but very quickly started developing that footprint. A sizable part of our business is in Europe and Middle East and across APAC. We also have big presences in Japan and Korea and then of course we work across all the Americas. In our global outlook on travel, India within that has grown really substantially over the last few years and it now one of our top five markets.We have grown 120 per cent growth internationally since 2019. We’ve seen 121% growth in people’s bookings that we’re doing on international in India, and 639 per cent growth in domestic searches in India. Comparing January 2024 with January 2023, we saw 35 per cent growth in searches which is a substantial growth in the Indian market. I think as a marketplace, we have got two sides. One is our travelers and on the other side, we’ve got our partners. We have really strong partnerships with all of the Indian airlines, also all of the Indian OTAs and global OTAs. So our job is to plug them into our marketplace, those partners, and to connect them with travelers. At Skyscanner, travelers can see the best prices and the best choice. So I think India is a great example, actually, of a market where we’ve invested in getting the supply right and then we can invest in bringing travelers into our marketplace. Can you also talk about some initiatives that you have done in India? First of all, we launched our India site last year, which allows us to just develop that local presence in this country. We have been spending a lot of time growing supply from the Indian market. We have worked on various reports that include, the Travel Trends Report; Travelling Focus Report; and a First Trip Report that looked particularly at the Gen Z market and their desire to travel. It looked at our planning and wanting to travel. So we invested heavily in our products in India, and we also invest globally in our products, but all of that is benefitting in India as well as some real localisation. What is the role of a Meta Search Engines (MSC) in today’s travel ecosystem, and how have you seen it evolve through the years here? First of all, if I look at the place that we have in travel planning, it’s very different from others. So close to 60 per cent of people come to Skyscanner not knowing where they want to go and or when they want to go somewhere. So they’re looking for inspiration, and that’s probably very different from people who would go to airline sites. I think if you go to an airline site, you’re probably much further down that travel planning funnel. So people come to us for inspiration. Our most popular destination globally that’s searched is everywhere. And that’s grown by 55 per cent year on year in India, actually. So, 55 per cent more of our people are coming in and typing everywhere. And, if you think about the development of it, we’ve seen a huge number of people who come to Skyscanner for that early stage travel. What challenges do you think that airlines and meta-search engines face today with regards to travel, experience, etc.? The most important thing in a marketplace like ours is to keep a real close eye on the fundamentals, so that our travelers get the best price. Do they see the best coverage? They’ve got all the flights they want to look for and they’ve got all the choice. And are those prices and is that data accurate and timely and fast? So the most important thing we focus on are those three fundamentals before anything else. The next thing is, and we’re innovators in how we can use technology to enhance what we’re showing those travelers, the richness of the data we’re showing them, making sure that data is more and more relevant to that individual traveler. How do you think one should collaborate to address these challenges? I think, the first thing is particularly with our airlines and even our online travel agents, we have a very complementary role in the travel planning. So we would say that we’re much higher on that travel planning funnel. First, we work collaboratively knowing that we are ultimately trying to get to the same place, which is to get travelers on to the aircraft, but we’ve got a very complementary role in that.The second bit with our partners is,

As India’s biggest independent MRO, Air Works Group in its seven decades of presence has come a long way transforming the Aviation MRO capabilities of the nation. As the outset of 74th year of presence, Mr. Anand Bhaskar, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Air Works in an exclusive interview with Vishal Kashyap, Managing Editor, Aviation World shares his views on various key aspects related to the Indian MRO ecosystem. Q: 73 years of presence in Aviation MRO Business. Your views on the historic milestone of Air Works Family? A: Air Works was founded in Mumbai on 16th April 1951 by 2 close friends – (Late) Mr. BG Menon and (Late) Mr. PS Menon –aircraft engineers, who worked with Indian National Airways at the time and were extremely passionate about aviation. At Air Works, we celebrate this day as our Founders’ Day. And our recent Founders’ Day was indeed a poignant moment for the entire Air Works family, as we take strides towards completing 74 years next and achieving the magical 75 number. The milestone is especially important for us and for Indian aviation, considering that only a few select brands – perhaps an Air India, who’ve stayed relevant and reached this iconic landmark.Through you, I take this opportunity to express our gratitude to our customers, our employees, our partners and all our well-wishers who’ve been supporting and inspiring us over these past decades. Beginning with Dakota DC-3s and Twin-Beech aircraft of leading industrialists,we’ve come a long way, where our customer portfolio today covers every aviation segment – Business, Commercial, Cargo and Defense, supported by a pan-India network and strong logistics relationships, that ensure that our customers can rely on us 100%. Even with reference to capabilities, we have come a long way after setting up India’s first independent EASA certified based maintenance facility in 2009. Today, Air Works Group is India’s biggest independent line maintenance service provider, assuring close to 40,000 flights annually, which translates into 1 out of every 3 flights of foreign carriers taking off anywhere in India. I consider myself blessed to have been part of the Group’s journey, including also driving its destiny in part, especially during the unprecedented pandemic period. Looking ahead, the rapidly transforming civil aviation sector continues to bring attractive opportunities and by virtue of our values, we remain confident of addressing them to stay relevant for our customers and become India’s first independent MRO to eventually reach the 100 Year milestone. Q: Indian Aviation has witnessed a sea change in last few years in a holistic way. How do you see this transformation? A: The ongoing transformation driven primarily by enhancements in airport infrastructure, technology adoption, huge aircraft and engine orders, as well as the entry of larger businesses has definitely expanded the size and visibility of the sector. It has also added scale, and all this is indeed a welcome and a much-awaited change since it also heralds opportunities for MRO and other related aviation services. However, more needs to be done to become Atmanirbhar as is our overarching ambition as a country. From an MRO perspective, some of the priorities include, a strong need to expand Business aviation including enhancing the role of helicopters in our economy, reduction taxes and duty structures – for the interim – to a level that enables indigenous MRO to compete with pre-existing regional maintenance hubs and attract business as well as support capability building, increase collaboration between civil and defense verticals to realize scale and efficiencies in MRO, as well as facilitate the creation of component manufacturing and repair ecosystem within the country to realize our national ambition of Viksit Bharat. Equally importantly, we also need to harmonize our regulatory ecosystem with the prevailing global one for standardization, easier compliance and faster decision making. It is critical that India does not lose the ongoing momentum that has been created with great difficulty and with considerable effort to ensure that we catch up with the larger global developments. Q: What are the significant steps being taken by the government to strengthen the Indian MRO sector? A: I admire and appreciate the Govt. for taking several steps over the last decade to transform the sector, which to varying extent, have facilitated the sector’s evolution. Policy changes for various sub-sectors such as Ground handling/ MROs / Airlines/ Cargo operators/ NSOPs/ Security set up/ Airports/ Regulatory ecosystem/ aircraft financing/ Manpower training/ ATCs/ FAL setups/ Airspace harmonization – have all been steps in the right direction and have been welcome. The industry recognizes that Rome was not built in a day and that it does take time to change or undo historical measures that were perhaps relevant for the time when they were taken. The more important need as I mentioned above, is to continue this momentum for another decade. Given that the aviation world around us has been evolving in parallel and we’re trying to catch up with the market, we obviously have to move faster than we have done earlier, to be able to achieve what we wish to realize. Q: We often hear that Indian MRO ecosystem has still not nurtured upto its maximum capacity. What are the bottlenecks? A: India is primarily an Airframe MRO market, geared to handle maintenance of narrow body aircraft that comprise 70% of our domestic fleet, which isexpected further increase to 80% as per some reports over time.Indian MROs have sufficient capability and capacity to manage the needs of domestic as well as regional fleet from APAC and the Middle East to some extent, in that context. However, capacities and capabilities to do wide body checks – need to be added in time, as the induction of wide body aircraft gradually occurs. While the country is also good and sufficient in Line Maintenance, emerging and more lucrative areas of the value chain such as Component and Engine MRO remain outside the reach of most indigenous MROs, due to several bottlenecks, some of which include: (a) High Capex requirements,

Jet Blast Deflectors contribute to overall airport efficiency by allowing for more compact and flexible airport designs… With the growing number of airports and airlines, it is important to take some decisive steps towards efficient operations and maintain standard safety zones which is directly impacted by the Jet Blast. To understand more about the Jet Blast impact and how it can be curtailed,Vishal Kashyap, Managing Editor, Aviation World speaks with Mr. Sameer Khale, Director, Sheetala Infrastructure Consultancy Pvt. Ltd which has successfully installed JBDs at prominent Indian Airports. Excerpts… Q: What are International regulatory norms for installation of Jet Blast Deflector (JBD) at airports? A: While there are no specific international regulatory norms governing the installation of JBDs at airports, various aviation authorities and regulatory bodies worldwide may have guidelines or recommendations regarding their use. Organizations like the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) provide general standards and best practices for airport operations, which may include considerations for mitigating jet blast effects. However, the specifics of JBD installation may vary by country or region. In many cases, the installation of JBDs at airports is mandated by national or local aviation authorities or regulatory officials. These authorities may require airports to install JBDs based on factors such as airport layout, proximity to sensitive areas, aircraft types operating at the airport, and safety considerations. While regulations often dictate the need for JBDs, it is typically the responsibility of airport operators to ensure compliance with these requirements. In conclusion, while there may not be specific international regulatory norms for JBD installation, the decision to install Jet Blast Deflectors at airports is often influenced by a combination of regulatory requirements, safety considerations, and operational needs. Q: Is it the choice of airport operators or mandated by the respective governments or regulatory officials to install this system? A: The decision to install JBDs is often influenced by a combination of regulatory requirements, safety considerations, operational needs, and financial feasibility. Airport operators may work closely with regulatory authorities, aviation consultants, and engineering firms to assess the need for JBDs, plan their installation, and ensure that they meet regulatory standards. They may also consider factors such as airport layout, traffic patterns, aircraft types, and safety assessments when deciding to install JBDs. The presence of a JBD allows airports to design their layout more efficiently. Without a JBD, airports would need to maintain greater distances between runways, taxiways and other infrastructure to account for the safety concerns associated with jet blasts. The redirection of the exhaust by the JBD means that these safety zones can be reduced, optimizing the use of available space. This efficient layout design is particularly crucial at busy airports where maximizing the number of runways and taxiways is essential for accommodating the high volume of air traffic. In summary, Jet Blast Deflectors contribute to overall airport efficiency by allowing for more compact and flexible airport designs while ensuring the safety of surrounding areas. Q: How does the system works in terms of deflating the impact of jet blast? A: A JBD is an inclined steel structure which fully diverts the high energy jet blast upwards thus protecting the area behind. The angle of the JBD has to be such that the entire blast is diverted upwards but no turbulence is formed due to the negative pressure which may have been generated by the jet blast. JBDs are required in 2 places; at airports and by MROs. It is mandatory for all engine MROs to have a JBD. The jet blast can reach speeds of upto 240 kmph which can be extremely dangerous for personal present at the airports, for equipment as well as nearby structures. Also, any wind speed above 56kmph is considered dangerous and should be mitigated appropriately. The use of a JBD increases the efficiency of the airport by allowing more flexible use of the available space. Q: In terms of percentage, how impactful this process is in terms of minimizing the jet blast impact? A: The impact is 100%. The JBD fully diverts the jet blast upwards, making the area behind, completely safe, for personnel and equipment. Q: As mentioned in your report, already few airports in India have taken this service. Any data you may share in terms of pre-post impact at these airports? A: Generally JBDs are planned in advance when the airport is being constructed or going for expansion For Eg: Navi Mumbai is going for 3 JBDs during construction stage itself; Cochin airport has 2 JBDs and now they want 2 more for their T3 expansion. Q: How big this segment is when you see the growing number of airports in India and overseas? A: Demand is just picking up and with the kind of exponential growth in the Indian aviation sector,I anticipate that 100 to 120 JBDs will be needed in the next 7 to 8 years in India alone. A similar number will be needed for Asia-Pacific and Africa. Q: What are the future projects in terms of number of airports you will target globally? A: Our product is at par with the Market leader with a much lower cost. We are considered as among the top 5 JBD manufacturers in the world by various market research websites. We are targeting the Indian, asia pacific and African region. Q;How does the production works? Is it based on the demand and what’s about the capacity? A: We design all JBDs as per the specific requirement and situation of that particular airport. All our JBDs are totally bolted structures. Sheetala Infrastructure specializes in completely bolted custom designed Jet Blast Deflector systems. Welding is not used at all thus greatly reducing the power consumption and eliminating the gases that would have been generated during welding. The reduced energy consumption during manufacturing, ease of disassembly for recycling, and flexibility for modifications make bolted steel structures a more environmentally friendly option compared to welded structures.We have enough capacity to carry out production of several JBDs simultaneously.  

Ramco Aviation recently signed a deal with Korean Air to implement Aviation suite & software solutions. To brief more about the current project as well as update on  other business plans, Saravanan Rajarajan S,Director – Aviation Solution Consulting, Ramco Systems, interacted with Vishal Kashyap, Managing Editor, Aviation World. Q: Kindly brief about the current deal with Korean Air’s Engine Maintenance Center at Incheon? A: Korean Air recently announced the construction of new engine maintenance MRO complex in Unbuk, near Incheon International Airport, which is slated to open in 2027. This complex will be the largest of its kind in Asia. Korean Air has previously managed its engine maintenance at its Bucheon facility, complemented by final performance testing at the ETC in Unbuk. The engine maintenance cluster will streamline the entire process with a strategic consolidation, enhancing operational efficiency by streamlining all the engine maintenance phases to a centralized site. Korean Air is also set to significantly enhance its aircraft engine maintenance capability from servicing 100 engines to 360 annually, across a broader spectrum of engine types. Currently, the airline conducts overhauls on six engine models, including Pratt & Whitney’s PW4000 and GTF; CFM International’s CFM56; and General Electric’s GE90-115B. The expansion includes adding three more engine models to its portfolio, including GE’s GEnx and CFMI’s LEAP-1B. Implementing Ramco’s Aviation Software will form a backbone to streamline Engine Maintenance operations across current engine shops and planned expansion sites, replacing multiple legacy systems to unify operations across the Engineering, Production, and Supply Chain functions. In addition, Korean Air will also benefit from digital enablers such as Mobility apps for Mechanics, Warehouse clerks, and E-Pubs to manage digital documents from OEMs. Q: The big number of aircraft orders in India has proved to be boon for the MRO industry. How do you see the potential of Ramco solutions in this growing aviation market? A: Currently, only 15 to 20 percent of the MRO work of Indian carriers is done within India, with the rest serviced overseas. With the large orders from Indian carriers, there is an opportunity for Indian Airframe, Engine, and Component MRO providers to grow their business. Ramco has a strong presence in the Indian MRO segment; two of the largest MROs in India, AIESL and GMR, have been our long-term customers. In addition, Ramco Aviation Software is deployed at various global sites catering to all lines of business. New MROs will need a strong digital backbone to enhance operational efficiency, productivity, and customer satisfaction. Ramco Aviation Software has a strong offering for the industry. Q: MRO as one of the key segment for Ramco Aviation, what are the unique and differentiated offer being made in this space? A: Ramco Aviation Software’s core function is managing continuous airworthiness and work execution from lines, hangars, and shops, as well as inventory and procurement, customer services, and quality control. The Solution helps digitally transform complex MRO processes. The integrated solution also helps in a wide range of functions, from Workscope induction to customer delivery and invoicing. Advanced capabilities, such as digital task cards, kitting and due parts tracking, mobility-based work execution, critical path, and turnaround time (TAT) management, help eliminate paper and inefficiencies. Other key advantages of Ramco Aviation Software apart from its integrated nature is through: Digitalization of OEM documents: The solution can process PDF-based and XML/SGML-based technical documents. Also, with its Direct EDI capabilities, it can access the OEM’s technical documentation library from the place of work through secure logins and API interfaces. This increases the operational efficiencies, by reducing the time and effort required to process the technical contents. Smart automation: Aviation maintenance processes generate a wealth of data pertaining to the aircraft engine defects, parts consumed, labor hours, elapsed time to carry out the repair and overhaul procedure. Accumulated over time, this data can become a goldmine of information to gain insights. Ramco, with its AI/ML capabilities, derives the insights in all key processes such as work scope planning & estimation, production planning & scheduling, and other supply chain aspects, automating core operations, helping customers gain an edge over the competition. Mobility-enabled shop floor work execution:Ramco’s Mechanic Anywhere mobile app helps the mechanics book time, report findings and record measurements, request parts and tools, and access the technical documents from the place of work. With the required regulatory approvals that are easily acquired through mobile apps, task and work compliance can be complied with digital e-signoff. Ecosystem Integration:Seamless flow of data between the ecosystem partners such as suppliers, customers, shipping partners and banking systems is essential for augmenting operational efficiency. Ramco’s MRO solution enables a robust customer ecosystem through customer portal, bots and EDI connectivity thus providing the dual advantage of boosting efficiency and improving the delivery of value to the customers. Real-time KPI monitoring & Analytics:Ramco’s integrated data analytics provides KPIs related to TAT, quality, cost, resource utilization, and warranties. These are computed dynamically without any need for manual consolidation and preparation. This allows for transparent and timely availability of insights for better decision-making. Q: Who are your potential customers and how do you address their requirements? Is it a customer-based requirement or pre-developed products which is in offer? A: Ramco Aviation Software is a fully web-centric application developed from the ground up specifically for the aviation industry. The solution offers an integrated platform for Airlines, 3rd party MROs, Defense, and Heli Operators to manage their functions around maintenance and engineering, supply chain, safety, technical records, planning, and financial control. We have a multi-layered customer engagement process, from tactical software support requirements to strategic periodic business reviews. Customer inputs are taken during the Project Blueprinting, Support Tickets classified as New Requirements, Surveys, and Usage audits; these are evaluated and prioritized for the product roadmap. We also work with our customers on a Co-Creation model for specific business needs leveraging next-generation technologies and for early adoption of new capabilities. Periodic assessment audits are carried out on usage, and recommendations are provided to improve utilization. We continuously work with

In Conversation The global technological solutions company “endava” has been driving innovations and transforming businesses of their clients based in over 25 countries. Within their 13 industry verticals, travel is one of the most important sectors where they serve airlines and airports. In a candid discussion, Dejan Cusic, SVP, Travel Industry, endava briefs Vishal Kashyap, Managing Editor Aviation World about how they see their market in the near future and best technical solutions they have for their customers. Excerpts… Looking into the growing Indian Aviation, how do you project to tap the sector in near future? India is too big market to ignore and it’s a growing market. So, it is something we will definitely focus on in the future. As we are speaking now, we don’t have any presence there, but we are considering our options how to penetrate into the Indian market. There are a few ways and at the moment we are deciding on our options. Similar situation we had in Australia two years ago as we didn’t had our presence there but now we have 300-400 people in that region. So, I don’t know but on the next Arab Aviation Summit we’ll talk and I’m sure that story will be different in a year time related to India. How convenient it is to adapt to endava products and use it? We have lot of technology knowledge people implementing our technology. We don’t have any specific product but how it works is typically we would come to airline sometimes with our idea and explore their idea and then we would do project and implement what they want. Almost always it’s bespoke software development. Why bespoke? Because once when you go with out of the box product, it’s very hard to differentiate yourself because everyone else has it. So we would go and do a very custom build program for particular business problem for our clients. Your products/technology seems to be very unique, so post-implementation will it have any cost impact on the passengers? It’s a very generic and as I mentioned a few things and one was NDC one order. So the whole idea behind new distribution channel in one order is that airlines will be able to upsell and cross sell products from other people. For example, a few days ago, I came from Europe to Dubai and the airline turned out that internet which was quite expensive on my roaming tariff from Ireland. I’m wondering what options you have. You go to the first shop and you buy SIM card locally, you put it in your phone and you have your data through local carrier. That’s one way to do it. The other way to do it would be may be for the airlines on the booking part when I’m booking, maybe to sell me eSIM. And before I fly, I scan eSIM and when I land in Dubai, I already have local SIM. So I think that’s the future for airlines to think about what else they could sell for us. And we will actually like it and appreciate it because it will make our life easier. And as in case of this eSIM, if I would have it, I wouldn’t bother around buying it. So you see my point. And that will enable because they will make more money on ancillaries, which I’m willingly paying because I need it. That will enable them to make their basic offering more attractive as well. I believe that is going to be a very good solution for your customers. Any particular point that you want to highlight and share with our readers? Again, great industry, great place to be for the airlines. You know all the stories about the future demand as technology will play a big part of it. One thing which is mentioned quite often now is sustainability and we did first moves in terms of how technology could help with sustainability. Airlines and aviation as an industry is quite an old industry with a lot of legacy systems, and we have some specific interesting tools and methodology how we help airlines to transform their IT systems. (The interaction was done at Arab Aviation Summit, in Ras Al kahimah, UAE)

IN CONVERSATION Indian aviation is growing with leaps and bounds with increasing demand of trained professionals. This has also created interest for global training organizations to either venture or enhance their presence in the country. With having presence in over 10 countries, ALVES Alexandre, Global Chief Operating & Commercial Officer, Airways Aviation Academy beliefs that the growth rate of India is so fast that there will be constraints finding all the qualified professionals. In an exclusive interview with Vishal Kashyap, Managing Editor, Aviation World, he shares his plans for India. Excerpts… Brief us about the global presence of Airways Aviation and what all course does it provides? Airways Aviation currently operates directly in 10 countries: Australia, India, Lebanon, Turkey, UAE, Germany, France, Montenegro, Italy and Senegal. Our Lebanese operation is expanding now to Cyprus and we are about to enter Portugal, Cabo Verde and Morocco with new operations. We are also expanding into Hainan in China with a local partner. We have different levels of schools if we can call it like that. The entry level is a Foundation School, which is what we have opened in Hyderabad last year. There we provide a proper airline focused assessment, focusing not only on standard skills such as Math’s, Physics and English but also pilot skills using ADAPT from Symbiotic which gives us a psychological and psychometric evaluation of the candidate. After that we provide our own Foundation Course which is what we can call a non-certified PPL theory course, and after that we are in a very good condition to tell the candidates if he can or not invest their time and money in pursuing their career as pilots. Once they pass successfully, we guide them to our next level of schools where we provide commercial pilot training. In addition, in our fully fledged academies we provide also cabin crew, maintenance technician and ground services courses. Examples of our main academies that cover the full scope are Australia and France. How is the response to the Hyderabad training Center in India and when it started? We started slowly in August 2023, and we’ve been running Foundation Courses almost every month. So far, we graduated successfully 36 students of which 8 continued to take their CPL training in Australia. This year we plan to expand our courses by launching DGCA Theory not only in Hyderabad but in several other Indian cities. We are also looking into some flight schools already operating in India, for a possible acquisition. How do you see the Indian market and what projections you have to cater to the demands? Personally, as you know, I’ve been looking into the Indian market since 2017. It was obvious for me that the market was under performing and was not showing its true potential. Now, with the changes the government has done, giving incentives for regional flights, opening new airports, promoting new operators to join the market, the growth of Indian middle class and the latest merger of Air India and TATA Group airlines (Vistara and Air Asia India) finally we are seeing the true potential. The only problem now is that the growth rate being pushed is so fast that there will be constraints finding all the qualified professionals, such as pilots or maintenance technicians, to follow this growth. And it’s there that we can help, using our experience of over 45 years in training thousands and thousands of aviation professionals in a multitude of countries. Tell us about the fleet you have and approx training cost and timeline as per Indian Civil Aviation Requirements? We operate currently around 70 aircraft throughout our flight schools but we plan to expand the fleet significantly. Most of our aircraft are Diamond Aircraft but we still operate Cessna, Piper and Tecnam, depending on the level of school we are talking. Cost of the pilot course varies from country to country, depending on the location, type of training, type of qualification (ICAO, CASA, EASA, etc.). It can go from USD65.000 to USD105.000. But as I mentioned, we plan to expand in India and start training locally and for that reason we are looking into possible acquisitions. This will address the desire of the government to have more aviation training in the country and can also help with the costs for everyone looking into getting their pilot course. Do you have any tie-ups with any training academy or airlines in India for training as well as recruitment purpose? We have the possibility of doing very interesting training contracts with some of the leading airlines and that is also why we want to invest more in the country and grow by having a flight training operation there. At this stage we cannot say more but I’m sure we will have news in the next few months. Any additional information if you would like to share? Airways Aviation is more a B2B focused aviation training organization than B2C. Through the years our organization has trained thousands of military and civilian pilots, cabin crew, maintenance technicians and other professionals for airlines, governments and official organizations in a variety of countries of Oceania, Asia, Middle East, Africa and Europe. Having said this, of course our B2C customers are very welcome and it’s part of our strategy to diversify not only the geographic source of our customers but also the type of customers. There is a saying that we shouldn’t put all the eggs in the same basket. Our presence in a multitude of countries of different regions of the globe and the fact that we operate with self-sponsored students up to leading airlines and air forces, enable us to be financially more stable than most of our competitors. We are also very fast in deciding our investments and as you may have seen, we are on fast but steady growth path, this can bring some assurance to all our customers that we are their go to aviation training organization.

At the Routes Asia 2024 Summit in Langkawi,Malaysia, Preeti Puja, Associate Editor, Aviation World, interacted with Mr. Rashed Alshammari, Vice President, Commercial, Air Connectivity Program, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on various development initiatives under the Kingdom’s “Vision 2030’. Excerpts… What are your expectations from Routes Asia 2024? The expectation from Routes Asia by exhibiting is to unlock the new destinations from Asia and other continent and to have their activity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The KSA is working on much extensive airport expansion plans? Could you please elaborate on this? We are there committed to growth of KSA. We oversee enhancing route development in the KSA in a holistic way. We take care and look after enhancing the inbound tourism to enable the tourism sector as per the strategic target and objective set by ‘Vision 2030’ and also we look after executing the Aviation strategy. So, we are the bridge between tourism and aviation sector. When it comes to expansion of airports, yes we look after it like for ex. Riyadh Airport. Our target is to have more than 120 million passengers by 2030. As part of the strategic program, we are targeting to have 150 million inbound tourists in the KSA by enabling the tourism sector. When it comes to enabling the aviation sector, we are targeting to unlock more than 250 destinations and having more than 330 million passenger traffic within the KSA by 2030. We are seeing this as a realistic target and we are executing and progressing positively towards opening more destinations. Especially, Saudi Arabia is a untouched market and we wanted to have more new destination and grow our tourism capacity. There has been lot of focus on making tech enabled airports with all modern amenities. Kindly brief a bit on this about the concept. The tech is the key enabler to promote a seamless passenger experience. Today, when we want to expand our inbound tourism, we have new destination, that requires the high tech technology. The seamless travel experience from the frisk point for the passengers for the airport, than moving from airport to the other terminal experience and then to the city. That takes key enabler to attract and monitor the high quality experience and for each inbound passenger or tourist to Saudi Arabia. KSA has also modified its various rules for expats and other visitors Is it in line of increasing tourism footfall and bringing more investment? Today Saudi Arabia, as one of the tourism initiative, we have introduced the e-Visa for specific country. It just matter of one click and within 90 seconds you receive your e-Visa. Plus we are welcoming our neighborhood who is living in nearby countries to come and explore Saudi Arabia. So this is we look after enhancing the full experience for certain citizens, expats and even the tourist who is visiting Saudi Arabia. Riyadh Air is making good vibes across the world? What are the operational plans of the airlines and which sector it will cater to? Well, Riyadh Air can answer this question on their behalf. In general, I believe Riyadh Air would be key enabler to contribute in our strategic target while bringing new destination, adding new capacity and bringing more tourist to the KSA. How do you see India as your partner? India is key partner for us. Indian carriers are expanding their direct flights to many different destinations of Saudi Arabia. It’s one of the pillar and enabler for the tourism activity in the KSA.

Peter Semone,Chairman, PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) discussed with Preeti Puja, Associate Editor, Aviation World at Routes Asia in Langkawi about the sustainability in tourism.Excerpts… Talking about the sustainability in travel, what does that mean and what perspective you are looking at? Sustainability is all about the environment. It’s kind of holistic thing we need to look at it. Sustainability for tourism is balancing the socioeconomic benefits with some of the negative environmental impacts that happen actually on cultures as well. I think, sustainability is becoming more of a balance between what you do and may be what you may necessarily do. Aviation sector is little bit far off in terms of as it has been able to make SAF and all other things that if we can do, we can continue working on the environment angle but in the same time let’s work on some of the other areas that is critical to sustainability. Because one of the thing we have to think now is partnership between industry, government and its community. It’s very much about community and so far Asia has benefited to a large degree from tourism but like many destination in Europe they are going start to feel that may be the benefit and how ways the positive elements and this is a really interesting thing in terms of sustainability. You know, we build tourism so quickly in Asia but we forgot or maybe we don’t see sometimes the invisible burden of tourism. So, when you have tourist, there is a lot of positive in terms of than leaving money behind but they leave a lot of other things behind as well like trash, they use lot of water, they add to traffic, congestion, just overall they are another element that kind of operating within the community . So sustainability is turning to be finding out what is the price of tourism. Because, I think in a lot of ways we haven’t actually calculated what’ s the true cost of tourism. We only talk about revenues but we never really talk about at the destination level, about the expense, so we have three indicators: right: (i) we say number of visitors(ii) Per tourist spend and (iii) length of stay. And, that’s the very generic number. We need to be little bit more specific for work being done, we need to measure the invisible burden of tourism and understand that better and at least we all have to contribute the negative impact that we bring and hopefully more. Tourism may be benefiting countries like India or Malaysia as much as we are saying that it is the sustainability and cost of hosting the tourist is much higher than we recognize. Has the perception changed Post COVID? I think Covid accelerated everything because it allowed us to see the other side of the coin which is if we don’t have tourism , everything is nice like environment is better , community is peaceful, but there is no money coming in. We need the money, we need tourism but I think we also learn that let’s structure and mitigate and reduce some of the negative impacts that happening and I think the people are also lot more aware as they have seen its like in their community to have tourist or not have tourist. I think the Covid just accelerated everything and I may very worried about certain issues like sustainable development cause because I think the other negative externality that we have to be worried is environment. One thing is Geo politics and the other thing is poverty and the gap that exist. It’s a long journey and its going to take little more time together in partnership with the public and private sector. I think we can do it we have to be determined to do it. Any message for the readers of Aviation World? I am very eager for PATA to partner more closely with the Aviation sector.PATA has been for more than 70 years and we have strong relationships with the aviation sector. I think in the Aviation sector there has been lot of cost cutting, membership subscriptions like that they took of but I think I believe that relationship between the Asia Pacific Aviation Sector and PATA can really help us develop together and we can work very much for the Ministry of Tourism and the government and the private sector at the destination level but having that the partnership in advocacy will make a big difference in the Aviation Sector as it goes through lot of changes. In many ways we are going to rewrite the way tourism is organized in the next ten years and very much includes the aviation sector.