From the Editor-in-Chief

Dear Readers,

Recently we witnessed a development that indicates the fact that Business Aviation in India will eventually be on the path of growth notwithstanding the hurdles, lack of infrastructure, bureaucratic hitches and so on. JetSetGo, just a four-year old startup aggregator, which not only has been reporting an amazing 700% growth in their revenues but further goes ahead and acquires an old non-scheduled operator Indo Pacific Aviation with the sole objective of expanding their footprint. Such a development clearly reaffirms the fact that sooner or later Business Aviation and General Aviation in India will surely claim its due and its status in the country. We at SP’s congratulate Kanika Tekriwal, the co-founder of JetSetGo for this brave step. In this issue we bring you details of this acquisition Also, we have conducted interviews with two prominent charter companies to figure out the way their business is evolving.

The past few months have seen a flurry of interesting activities in the business aviation sector. Starting with the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva. The convention strived to get the aviation industry to go green by encouraging the use of Sustainable Alternative Jet Fuels (SAJF). SAJF are safe, and available today and have been tested by manufacturers of aircraft, engines and components, to assure their reliability and safety. More importantly, these fuels can be blended with current fuels, so manufacturers do not have to redesign engines or aircraft and can simply be “dropped-in” whenever they are available. Their use also allows operators and others in industry to achieve corporate social responsibility goals, and demonstrate the industry’s commitment to address climate change. EBACE 2018 in Geneva also saw a flurry of announcements by leading aviation companies.

Meanwhile, the recent edition of BAOA Safety Seminar outlined clear objectives to press on the need for a robust Safety Management System (SMS). In a country with a bustling rural regions, some that may prove inaccessible due to lack of infrastructure, helicopters are a great option. The Regional Connectivity Scheme is making apparent the potential of smaller aircraft and helicopters to connect remote regions in India. With their increasing involvement, it has become increasingly imperative to address the safety issues associated with these aerial vehicles. Though the sector remains largely under-utilised, it remains yet to be seen whether the ambitious UDAN scheme will change that.

India is poised to be world’s third largest aviation market by 2022 and business aviation has a considerable role to play in that. With the recent developments in the sector, we would prefer to remain quite optimistic for the future.

Have happy landings!

J. Baranwal
Editor-in-Chief