How does your new Airnetz business compare to other airline charter companies -- Ernst & Young finds there are 32 of them -- in India?

At Airnetz, we are follow a high degree of process automation, something that no other player does in this industry in this part of the world. We guarantee an instant quote over phone and a detailed approximate quote over e-mail within two minutes, for any charter requirement in India and even worldwide. We have exclusive tie-ups with Non-schedule operators which gives us the best rate in industry. Our fleet network base is over 15 cities in India as compared to three to four of most of the charter operators. We are also shortly launching charter services for Indian corporate visiting USA and wanting to charter aircrafts there. They can do so over phone by calling Airnetz local booking numbers. We also ensure the shortest charter booking time at only two hours notice for domestic charter. With the speed and simplicity of operation, we make sure that when a customer comes to us, he always sticks to us.

What numbers or evidence do you think point to a viable market for air charters and helicopter rides in India today?

If you look at current NSOP list from DGCA web site, the there are over 200 aircraft in India right now, that number will double every year from now. As India's corporate sector is growing, private aviation is growing at the same speed. Air charters and helicopter rides will increase at over 60 percent in India in the next 5 years. More and more private airfields and heliports are also getting developed.

In the past few years, a number of new domestic airlines have begun offering service within India and international carriers are increasingly flying to new destinations within India.  Yet, India has faced criticism that its airport facilities are not yet world-class and airplane parking spots are at a premium.  What do you think airline and air charter business will look like in five years?

The facilities at airports have improved a lot and I feel they are at international standards now. Having traveled extensively in US, I feel India provides lesser hassles for travelers at the airports. With the privatization of airports and brand new airports coming up in cities like Hyderabad and Bangalore, India is beginning to set up new standards for airport infrastructures after places like Singapore. At the same time, more airports need to develop to take the load off metro airports like Mumbai and Delhi. With the new Mumbai airport scheduled to be completed by 2012, India will be one of the dominating infrastructure in aviation in the next five years.
 
We all know that global scheduled airlines are going through a consolidation phase right now. Low-cost airlines are shutting down due to increasing oil prices. At the same time, air charter business globally is increasing at more than 50 percent. Non-schedule airlines have the comfort to fly only on demand, greatly cutting everyday incremental costs and overhead. This makes them profitable. In India, business travelers will extensively travel on air charters while other passengers will have to shell out a little more to travel. Both industries will grow at 50 percent every year in spite of increasing costs.

What helicopter packages do you offer -- and how do they compare to overland travel to the same destinations?

Since we work with DGCA-approved non-schedule air carriers on exclusivity, we can only offer our helicopters on demand. The services start from Rs. 60,000 per hour and goes to even Rs. 140,000 per hour for 10-passenger helicopters. We don't have much comparison in prices if we plot a table for overland and air travel at this moment. But for business passengers, where time is really critical, the service is priceless. Our helicopters can fly to any remote area in India.