‘The Key Is To Get To Know The Travel Trade Better’

Helming Cathay Pacific’s Indian operations, country manager for India, Nepal and Bangladesh, Rupert Bray talks to Bhisham Mansukhani about the immediate future of his airline

What are your immediate objectives for the Indian market after you have assumed your most recent responsibilities?

The focus is on closer contact with the trade and thereby the customer. I think the key, for me, is to get to know the Indian traveller better and for them to know me. We are a relatively smaller airline in the Indian context but there is scope to augment operations, depending on the negotiations at the highest level between the Indian and Hong Kong government. There are other cities which Cathay Pacific can target as well.

What do you perceive are Cathay’s strengths with regard to the Indian market?

Cathay Pacific has a strong reputation for the service it provides. But we are not a very big airline out of India and the biggest opportunity as I see it, is enhancing traffic from India to China and vice versa. The recent developments in relationships between India and China have been a boon. Both of these countries have a population of over a billion and fast growing economies promising double digit GDP growth. Both exchange considerable business traffic.

How does Cathay intend to tap the business and leisure markets on this frequency?

I think price sensitivity is the key

distinguishing factor between business and leisure travellers on any route. For business travellers, like I mentioned earlier, our emphasis on a service driven product is an advantage. On the leisure tourism front, we are working with CNTA and HKTB to create tour packages that stitch the two destinations together and add value for our clients. We have every interest in promoting China as a prime tourism destination in India and we work very closely with the Chinese Consulate in Mumbai and CNTA back in China. It is still premature to outline the plans however.

Do you think that the Internet will marginalise the agent?

The Internet as changed everything and international aviation is no exception. That said, it has only made things easier but has not made the travel agent any less relevant. E-ticketing notwithstanding, passengers still rely on the travel agent as their link to the airline. Airlines and travel agents are travel partners. E-ticketing will not distance agents from the travellers. It will merely change the medium of delivery.

How important is the Indian market for Cathay Pacific Airlines?

The Indian market is fast gaining importance but has a long way to go when compared to other destinations. We fly triple daily to London and Sydney so that puts things in context. We feel very strongly that the Hong Kong market out of India is undeserved and there is much demand that we cannot tap simply because we do not have the frequency, reflected in our consistently high load factors.

What do you hope to achieve in the course of your stint in India?

I hope to increase frequencies. I want to continually build my relationship with the travel trade -- a top priority and also prepare for additional frequencies when that happens. Promoting Hong Kong as a gateway to China will also be a conspicuous focus.