From the Editor-in-Chief

Dear Readers,

It’s that time of the year again. Close on the heels of Wings India 2018, the international exhibition and conference on civil aviation sector, the BizAvIndia Conference is all set to roll with more insider and expert insights of the sector. Just like the preceding sessions, the fourth edition of the event promises to be yet another informative discussion about the happenings in the sector, especially addressing the million rupee question of the hour – the effect of GST on BA/GA sector.

In this issue, we get the best of both worlds with a cohesive look into the past with the journey map of BAOA to reach the heights it has, seven years since its inception in 2011, as well as an exciting peak into the future with the debut of HondaJet in the market. Not only as the fastest, the light business jet, which can also be termed as premium light jet, has earned a formidable reputation as the most delivered jet in its category with the added edge of innovative design features. Speaking of innovations, all-new Gulfstream G500 and G600 are set to change the face of business aviation with their new increased range and future pilots trained on the groundbreaking Gulfstream Symmetry Flight DeckTM – a flight deck truly designed by pilots for pilots. As showcased at NBAA-BACE (NBAA’s Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition), the Gulfstream customers would also have access to immersive reality tools, giving them the ability to easily view myriad cabin configurations and customisable design options, reveals Jason Akovenko, Regional Vice President (Asia-Pacific) of Gulfstream Aerospace in this edition. The future is really now.

While the civil aviation industry looks forward to a promising and fruitful year, what with the rolling out of RCS and flight of the long overdue UDAN scheme, in this issue we get the business aviation industry stalwarts – Kanika Tekriwal, Founder, JetSetGo; Rajan Mehra, CEO, Club One Air and even Business Aircraft Operators Association (BAOA) President, Rohit Kapur to get candid about the regional connectivity fanfare and its effect on the BA/GA sector. Digitising the aviation sector, trying to break away from the commercial airliner mould, dealing with congested airports and India’s ‘helicopter phobia’ as well as the ‘second class citizen’ treatment meted out to the BA industry operators, are a few of the issues touched on in this edition.

Further, giving praise where it’s due, Group Captain Rajesh K. Bali (Retd), Managing Director, BAOA, opens up about the organisation’s biggest success so far – to give the industry a unified voice to represent all industry matters. Also, we would like to invite the entire BA/GA community to come visit us at Booth No. 28, Hall B during Wings India 2018.

Have safe take-offs and landings!

J. Baranwal
Editor-in-Chief