As the demand for last mile connectivity increases, private aircraft operators are keeping up with the latest and the “happening” trends in the world of aviation, India is not far behind. Keeping pace with a plethora of activities in the aviation space, across the globe, and considering the world has shown a keen interest in Airbus’ Vahana, Boeing’s electric aircraft (both passenger and cargo), as well as Larry Page’s Kitty Hawk, Indian entrepreneurs are following suit.
JetSetGo, which has been operational for four years now, recently launched its SkyShuttle service, which offers premium jets and helicopters to high-net worth individuals as well as the top brass of big companies who wish to avoid wasting time in long, winding security queues and baggage claim processes. Flying SkyShuttle also means, you are no longer driving yourself to the airport or worrying about calling for a cab. They offer their own Limo pick-up and drop-off that brings you right to the aircraft gate (available only in Bengaluru right now). The terminals used are also private aviation terminals, not the regular terminals with very little waiting time. Inside the aircraft, there is bespoke service with a business class feel and this is how the founders of the largest private aviation company in the country, Kanika Tekriwal and Sudheer Perla, are trying to up the excitement factor.
What further sets JetSetGo service apart is the benefit of having Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL)—thereby using third dimension in air travel—and making “daily traffic jams a thing of the past,” says CEO and co-founder, JetSetGo, Kanika Tekriwal. “The Heli-shuttle part is going to be a huge game changer because we are not trying to change the way people fly, instead we are trying to change the way people ride, so essentially, we are putting people from ground into air, decreasing congestion on the roads, in whatever little manner we can and changing their lifestyle. It is geared towards an ecosystem where people spend the least amount of time traveling or riding and more amount of time in their homes,” says Tekriwal.
This service is being offered in three key sectors, which apparently have been “high in demand routes that customers have been very keen on”, Mumbai–Bengaluru, Juhu–Tarapore and Juhu–Vapi. The company conducted a tedious primary data-collecting exercise by meeting people in 40-50 industries in each of these places and analysing how it was going to truly benefit the customers. The idea was to benefit people who had business interests in cities where airports were farthest from the city, such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad, for instance. Almost 96 per cent of the people they spoke to said they hated going to Bengaluru because of the time spent on the road, so Bengaluru was a clear winner, says Tekriwal. “Industrial hubs in and around Mumbai can be a pain and we have customers who fly there on a regular basis. It was quite obvious for us that owners and chairpersons of business groups frequently travel there, so we decided to widen the scope of it for a much larger target audience,” says co-founder, Sudheer Perla. However, JetSetGo, also plans on adding more routes in the coming months.
Perla said that they are a non-scheduled operator at this point of time, however, he admitted that the DGCA has one of the best air safety practices in the world. “Already we have done close to 3000 flights as a company last year. What we have done, as compared to how the industry operated before, would actually enhance the safety and the maintenance norms. We are running it as a much more structured set up,” he says.
The company's immediate goal is to enable a cost-effective method. “That’s what we are really trying to achieve in the next two to three years; bringing down the cost to at least by one-fourth of the current cost. It will take us two years on a very conservative side,” says Tekriwal.
However, considering the fact that the company has a good mix of aircrafts such as Dassault Falcon, Challenger, a Bombardier aircraft, and Beechcraft, it is not surprising that chairperson’s of large listed companies as well as people associated with the BSE’s Top 100 listed companies fly with them on a regular basis.
