In the cockpit

Down-to-earth man of the skies

Barely two years in the market, budget carrier, Air India Express has become the ambassador of India abroad. Standing by the parent company - Air India for nearly 30 years is Captain P P Singh, the enterprising COO, Air India Express. By Andrea Lopez

His overt modesty doesn't belittle his towering personality and seasoned knowledge of the aviation industry. Captain P P Singh has for the past one year, been the face of Air India Express. Born in Punjab in 1948, Singh completed his education in a boarding school in Dehradun and went on to join the National Defence Academy. He joined the army in 1968 and began his tryst with Air India (AI) in 1975. He joined the commercial department of AI and worked in various divisions from passenger sales to cargo. His 31 years with the parent company has seen him being deputed in New York (1985-89), Frankfurt (1993-1997) and Dubai (2001-2004). He has also served as regional director of AI in the Middle East and Africa.

After his retirement as additional regional director for India in 2006, Singh was handed the baton to carry forward AI's subsidiary budget airline - Air India Express. "I've had a great innings with Air India," he reminicises. "The airline has undoubtedly been one of the best in the 1970s, now with the introduction of new aircrafts and our very unique 'tail' branding, I am confident of climbing to occupy the position of one of the world's best budget carriers. It's been an honour to be directly involved with the team that conceived the idea of a budget carrier," he says.

A businessman to the core, Singh's lighter moments are spent vacationing in Los Angeles with his son or in Pune, where the weather offers ample opportunities to unwind. Says Singh, "Golf is an addiction with me and I'm always prepared for a good game." He isn't a movie buff or an avid reader, preferring to spend his limited leisure time with family. God fearing, but not religious he stands by the principles he grew up with - hard work, dedication and a firm commitment to work tirelessly towards achieving goals. He also believes that he has been favoured by luck throughout his career. "Besides hard work and dedication, one needs a sprinkling of luck as well," he laughs bashfully. "I attribute my success to dedication and a bit of good fortune," he says. Growing with the industry has been an experience in itself for Singh and he points out that the journey has been long, fraught with highs and lows, "But it's been an eventful one," he adds.

On the aviation industry

His legendary association with the industry makes him more than adept at analysing its achievements and flaws. "The liberalisation of the aviation industry in India was like the floodgates being thrown open and as statistics will reveal, the entrance of budget carriers perked the interest of many travellers," he says. Poor pricing of air tickets has contributed to diminishing profits, although consolidation has ensured a balance. Singh points out that fares need to be corrected to make the venture a profitable one. The domestic and the international market has been pegged to grow at a rate of 25 per cent. Singh attributes the strides in the aviation industry to the dynamic person in the minister for civil aviation, Praful Patel. "The overall scene in the travel and aviation sector in the country is very encouraging, but infrastructure at all airports is still a major concern," he says.

Air India Express' success story

Singh's association with AIE as COO has of course only begun, but he has high hopes for the airline which began operations on 29th April 2005 with three leased Boeing 737-800 aircraft. It commenced operations with 26 weekly flights connecting three Indian cities, namely, Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvanthapuram with points in the Gulf i.e. Dubai, Sharjah, Al Ain, Salalah, Abu Dhabi and Muscat. Today, Express' fleet of seven owned and seven leased aircraft operates 119 flights a week from ten Indian cities. Says Singh, "We concentrate our operations on cities other than Mumbai and Delhi, the idea being to fly to areas where the flight frequency is low but market demands high. We plan to operate on the domestic sector as well after consultation with Air India so that we do not compete with our own mother carrier."

By October 2007 Express is planning to start flights from Kolkata to Dacca, Singapore and Bangkok. In addition there will be flights from Dubai to Indian cities like Jaipur, Lucknow, Goa and Nagpur. "We expect the delivery of three more B737-800s which will take our fleet size to 17. We are also looking at starting domestic operations. Some of the routes being planned include connecting cities like Kochi, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram and Delhi," he says.

Singh's ascension to the throne as Chief Operating Officer puts him in a formidable position, but a gentleman to the core, he refuses to be swayed by fame or lofty titles and interacting with the media is something he tactfully avoids doing. Supremely modest, he refuses to take credit for the airline's success, attributing it rather to the combined effort of all those involved. Retaining and consolidating Air India Express' position as the leader in the skies is his vision, and he ardently believes in his and his team's ability to make the vision a reality.