Friday, February 25, 2005
Q&A: GR Gopinath (Deccan Airways)
Key quotes:
"... both Delhi and Mumbai airports are choked — you cannot get parking slots, terminal gates and landing slots on the runaway. For instance, in Delhi and Mumbai only 25 aircraft can land every hour — that is half the average of any other international airport."
"... the archaic DGCA rules made in 1937, which were made when jets did not exist, need to be changed. The rules add to our cost. For instance, if a Boeing pilot wants to shift to an Airbus, and even if he is experienced, the rules state he still needs to log in 100 hours on an Airbus before flying the aircraft."
"... We also request the government to allow hedging in ATF fuel so that we are protected to some extent on the volatility of the fuel cost."
"I don’t think there will be any problem in selling 1 billion seats in a year — today we are at 16 million. Even today, China has 60 million airline customers. We might need 50,000 flights to achieve the objective. All you need is that the middle-class take a flight three to four times a year and you will reach the magic number. The constraint is not the passengers or the market; it’s the number of aircraft and the infrastructure in the country that is needed to support it. I think you will see the same revolution that hit the telecom sector. Five years ago you could not have imagined your driver with a mobile. Some years later, even he will travel by air."
- posted by katongking @ 9:54 am
Key quotes:
"... both Delhi and Mumbai airports are choked — you cannot get parking slots, terminal gates and landing slots on the runaway. For instance, in Delhi and Mumbai only 25 aircraft can land every hour — that is half the average of any other international airport."
"... the archaic DGCA rules made in 1937, which were made when jets did not exist, need to be changed. The rules add to our cost. For instance, if a Boeing pilot wants to shift to an Airbus, and even if he is experienced, the rules state he still needs to log in 100 hours on an Airbus before flying the aircraft."
"... We also request the government to allow hedging in ATF fuel so that we are protected to some extent on the volatility of the fuel cost."
"I don’t think there will be any problem in selling 1 billion seats in a year — today we are at 16 million. Even today, China has 60 million airline customers. We might need 50,000 flights to achieve the objective. All you need is that the middle-class take a flight three to four times a year and you will reach the magic number. The constraint is not the passengers or the market; it’s the number of aircraft and the infrastructure in the country that is needed to support it. I think you will see the same revolution that hit the telecom sector. Five years ago you could not have imagined your driver with a mobile. Some years later, even he will travel by air."
- posted by katongking @ 9:54 am
