Page 4 - AAA MARCH - APRIL 2013 ( CHINESE EDITION ) Online Magazine

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CONTENTSew

CREDITS EDITOR’S NOTE

edItOR
jEREMy TORR INdIAN bRAVeRy
jeremy.torr@gbp.com.sg
It looks like the airline business in India is reaching a new phase. A phase that
ASSOCIAte edItOR brings the harsh realities of fuel costs, less-than-stellar passenger numbers and
jOSEPHInE PAnG staffing problems to a raft of flamboyant CEOs – and nips them uncomfortably
josephine.pang@gbp.com.sg
on the undercarriage.
exeCutIVe PubLISHeR & CeO
vITTORIO ROSSI PRUDEnTE
vittorio.prudente@gbp.com.sg Many of the recent start-ups – with the apparent exception of LCC IndiGo – are
COO & mARketINg dIReCtOR, ASIA feeling the squeeze and either cutting flights, shedding facilities or returning
SIvA SACHI aircraft to leasing corporations.
siva.sachi@gbp.com.sg
ARt dIReCtOR but this ragged scenario is currently presenting opportunities for other, more
ARTHUR CHAn organised groups to step in and snap up some perfectly operable hardware, on the
arthur.chan@gbp.com.sg
promise of a return to better operating principles.
web dIReCtOR
ELMER vALEnCIA
elmer.valencia@gbp.com.sg Airlines such as Emirates, Etihad and Qatar are either looking or pledged to
take stakes in Indian airlines, and it doesn’t take a genius to see why. With the
CIRCuLAtION mANAgeR
kHAIRUL nAEM passenger numbers from India to the Arabian Gulf expanding exponentially,
khairul.naem@gbp.com.sg with a perfectly positioned external feeder network, and with proven operating
AdVeRtISINg RePReSeNtAtIVeS methods, they look set to capitalise on the local market. Indeed, as Qatar
EuROPE, mIddLE EAST, SOuTh AfRIcA & CEO Akbar Al baker is reported to have said, “India is a huge market, [and] a
SOuTh AmERIcA potentially lucrative one,” though his company has denied rumoured plans to
COnTACT: vITTORIO ROSSI PRUDEnTE
TEL: +39 049 723 548 FAx: +39 049 856 0792 invest in Spicejet. kingfisher has also denied it was in talks with any of the Gulf
MOb: +39 335 611 9295 airlines, but noted it might when it saw the opportunity. “Aviation is a capital
EMAIL: vittorio.prudente@gbp.com.sg intensive business and needs strategic capital,” its statement noted. That’s one
ASEAN, PEOPLE’S REPubLIc Of chINA, TAIWAN, thing the Gulf airlines have plenty of, and they will need it if they buy into any of
hONg KONg & AuSTRALASIA
COnTACT: SIvA SACHI the red-smeared accounts of likely investment targets.
TEL: +603 778 12903/2909 FAx: +603 778 12915
MOb: +601 2905 6825 but they aren’t the only ones looking to take advantage of the situation. The
EMAIL: siva.sachi@gbp.com.sg
SOuTh ASIA – INdIA, PAKISTAN, change of heart by India’s government that now allows foreign airlines to own as
SRI LANKA, bANgLAdESh & NEPAL much as 49% of Indian carriers has opened the door for AirAsia, which has plans
COnTACT: vInOD GHAnSELA to establish an Indian version of its highly successful LCC – but not by buying into
MOD: +91 9810806939 an existing operator.
EMAIL: vinod.ghansela@gbp.com.sg
uSA & cANAdA
COnTACT: jOSH MAyER Instead it plans to link up with established Indian conglomerates Tata Group
TEL : +1 972 816-6745 FAx : +1 972 767 4442 and Telstra Tradeplace. This means, unlike other potential investors, they don’t
EMAIL : jm@mayeradvertising.com have to buy into a debt-heavy existing operation that does however come with the
SWITzERLANd advantage of an established network.
COnTACT: RObERT ROTTMEIER
TEL : +41 216 174 412 FAx : +41 216 170 921
MOb : +41 792 104 466 Instead it can start with a clean slate, a respected trading record, and some
EMAIL : robertrottmeier@bluewin.ch
impressive (Mittal, bhatia) Indian business names to back it up. It could be an
ISRAEL interesting few years ahead as Tony Fernandes brings his innovative methods
COnTACT: TAMIR ESHEL to the Indian scene, and begins to tweak the noses of the big Gulf players in the
TEL : + 972 544 508 028 / +972 989 117 92
FAx : +972 989 199 65 process. brave man indeed.
EMAIL : eshel_tamir@yahoo.com

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