From the Editor-in-Chief

Dear Reader,

On March 31, 2021, BAOA crossed a major milestone, in its journey, with the completion of 10 years. What started as a small association, formed by the merger of two business aviation associations in India, BAOA quickly established itself as the sole body representing the interests of the BA/GA community in all fora, primarily in their task of taking up industry related matters with the policy makers in the Government of India. Their decadal anniversary is a significant landmark in the history of GA/BA in India.

“Arbitrary customs duty, high duties on aviation turbine fuel (ATF), sales tax, high charges for ground handling, are deterring the growth of the sector,” said Rohit Kapur, the then President, BAOA, while addressing a press meet (in 2011) shortly after BAOA was formed. “We will be seeking support and cooperation from the regulatory bodies to develop adequate infrastructure and facilities for business aviation and help in policies, regulations and customs duty amongst other matters.” Since that time, BAOA has come a long way during the last 10 years.

In this issue, we have BAOA’s current President AVM S.S. Chauhan, former President Rohit Kapur and the BAOA Managing Director, apart from the prominent members, talking about the journey so far and the role played by BAOA in developing BA/GA in India.

We would like to use this occasion to once again highlight the contribution Business Aviation can make in the growth of Indian economy. Business Aviation is not a “Rich person’s toy” but an established business productivity and efficiency tool that has been proven across the world. Over the last 12-18 months, Business Aviation has yet again proven its usefulness to the world and in India. When the entire commercial aviation sector had stopped functioning, Business Aviation provided a safe and Covid-free travel option. It was used by entities across the world also to repatriate their citizens stuck in various parts of the world; it was used by the mandarins of the business community to keep the wheels of trade and commerce turning when the entire world had shut down and transportation had come to a standstill; and was even used to ferry the vaccines for the pandemic to the remotest parts of the country, where access by commercial aviation was a challenge. It is high-time that BA/GA got it due place in the Indian Aviation sector and the full support of policy makers in the country.

To conclude we at SP Guide Publications are also proud to be the partner of BAOA as we continue publishing BizAvIndia (since 2015) echoing the voices of BA/GA fraternity. We reiterate our relentless and restless efforts in parallel towards the holistic betterment of the industry.

Stay Safe and Happy Flights!