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obsessed with the technology for its own sake. At this juncture, I was introduced to Ajay Bhatkal. He had spent a long time in IT companies and had the experience and the know-how to conceptualise products and services from the customer’s point of view. I told Ajay, ‘E-ticketing should be our forte: I don’t care what it takes, but we are not going to print tickets. You find a way, and only then can you join me.’ We on our part were clear that we needed a system that allowed travel agent and passenger alike to be able to access the internet interface and buy the tickets from the Deccan reservation inventory, the common ticketing resource for all. We needed a reservation system that allowed the passenger, or travel agent, to pay by credit card. We needed software that interfaced our system and the bank. I signed a deal with InterGlobe Technologies (IGT). We had forty-five days to set
I AM READY: (Top) an Air Deccan aircraft ready to take its passengers to the skies; (above) the crew members of Air Deccan walking towards the plane.
I made it clear that ATR would train our pilots and help my staff to undertake line maintenance. Without any cash flow upfront I had got a package from them CRUISING HEIGHTS February 2010
up everything from scratch. Managing an airline demands that routines at every functional node are meticulously synchronised. This applies to the front end of airline operations: to bookings, check-in, and departure, and also to the back-end: flight operations, aircraft engineering and maintenance, and ground-handling. We had to hire the linemaintenance engineers, rig up general and specialized tools and sheds, equip hangars, and acquire the requisite minimum inventory for DGCA approval. What remained were clearances from the DGCA, Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), AAI, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). I fortunately had the backing of Rajiv Pratap Rudy and so went ahead and fixed a date for the launch. Karnataka chief minister S.M. Krishna agreed to be the chief guest. Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Venkaiah Naidu, and defence minister George Fernandes agreed to participate. Fernandes said he would get on board my inaugural flight. The advance publicity, and the fact that nodal agencies, including the DGCA, BCAS, AAI and the MoCA had been very supportive, generated expectancy, and the very idea that India would launch an airline for the common man created quite a buzz. To be safe, swift, and profitable was the mantra. Low fares would stimulate the market. Existing passengers would fly four times rather than once. Train travellers would be tempted to fly instead of taking the railway. The airline for its part would enter uncharted territory, into the very bow els of India. This was our inner logic. (Excerpted with permission of the Publisher.)
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