What are your areas of responsibilities?

As General Manager India, I am the legal representative of Gulf Air in India. My major involvement is the Sales and Marketing of passenger traffic from India. Outside of that, my role is more of an administrative one, where our Cargo Manager keeps me abreast of cargo issues and also reports directly to Head of Cargo in Bahrain. Similarly Ground Operations, Engineering and Finance keep me constantly updated and also report directly to Bahrain. I also closely monitor competitor activity and Government policies directly affecting our business.

When did you enter the Aviation Industry and how did you go about it?

My career started as a Commercial Management Trainee with BOAC in 1967 learning all commercial aspects of the airline business in an intensive 3 year "hands on" induction and moving on to take up key roles in Reservations and Marketing. It was an intense apprenticeship, encompassing studies for the Institute of Transport Examinations at the same time. It was a really good base for the Airline Industry. I stayed seven years at BOAC, learning more about my chosen career.

1974 saw a move to Swissair as London West End Sales Representative. In my 20 years with Swissair I moved through a succession of roles as Manager Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi & Botswana, Deputy Sales Manager UK & Ireland, Telemarketing Manager UK, Telephone Sales Manager UK & Manager Midlands based in Birmingham UK.

I joined Gulf Air ten years ago in late 1994 as Market Development Manager for Europe and America and moved on to become General Manager UK, Ireland & Scandinavia and then General Manager Offline Europe before moving to Mumbai to take up my current position.

Tell us what is Project Falcon all about?

Project Falcon was the brainchild of President and Chief Executive James Hogan. James has led our company for 2½ years now. From the beginning of 2003 Project Falcon was launched - as a blue print, a recovery plan to return Gulf Air to profitability and re-establish it as a world-class airline- viable, customer oriented, innovative and efficient. All the basics were there - aircraft, routes, staff, and offices - what we required was a workable, progressive plan. 

A blueprint was prepared for the first 3 years and James Hogan as President went to the Board with this blueprint of how he planned to turn the company around and asked for their support and commitment. Logically the blueprint had to be detailed, factual, and achievable. The Board of Directors accepted the Project Falcon plan and it was adopted with their full support. In 2002 our deficit was 120 Million USD and our first goal was to reduce the deficit by about 50% in 2003 - which we achieved. 

The plan for 2004 is to break even and we are on track to do so and that's remarkable especially with the escalating fuel costs this year and the impact this has on airlines. Incidentally, Project Falcon's three-year template of recovery has now been extended. Through our positive performance, James Hogan has won the confidence of the Board and they've agreed for a further 3-year plan from 2006 to 2008. 

How many flights does Gulf Air operate to and from India?

Currently we are operating 78 flights per week from the Gulf to India and return - 21 of them under the Government's "open sky" policy. Our normal schedule is 57 flights a week, which is split over 7 cities i.e. Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. Gulf Air also flies extensively from the Gulf to the Far East, Australia, within the Middle East and Gulf, to Europe, North Africa (Casablanca, Cairo and Khartoum) and we serve East Africa and USA on a code share basis in partnership with other airlines. 

What factors have lead to growth of traffic from India into the Gulf?

When the Gulf Oil fields were established in the 1960s, the Gulf Arab states needed lot of skilled labour as they have built cities out of deserts. A lot of this has been achieved with Indian Technology, Indian skill and Indian hard work. Many Indians have gone to work in the Gulf and have earned good incomes there for 20 to 30 years. We have many large Indian communities resident in the Gulf who more and more require access to their towns and cities in India - so there is a constant pressure to increase our frequencies and our destinations.

How do you plan to change the image that Gulf Air is meant only to carry labour class or semi-skilled workers from India to the Gulf? 

That's an interesting question - I think that a labourer in the minds of many of us is the guy from the village who wants to work in the Gulf to earn more money for himself and his family - perhaps a little unsophisticated, a first time traveller. But when he's been overseas for a while - then he is a normal working guy and he goes on holiday to see his family in his homeland, is he still a labourer? 

All airlines from India carry workers - India is a powerhouse of workers - labourers, semi-skilled and highly skilled technicians. It is a major market segment to the Gulf, Europe, USA and Far East. 

We certainly carry them and are happy to do so - but we are also keen to carry tourists, businessmen and people visiting families and friends abroad. The steps we are taking to improve our products to surprise and delight our customers are visible evidence. We hope to deliver wide range of products and choices as well as great, consistently high levels of customer service that will satisfy both the international jet setters and the first time traveller.

What do you feel about India Shining and Incredible India?

The Incredible India campaign is really exceptional. The pictures, videos and music conjure up a need to want to visit India - to be a part of it. 

India Shining and the economic success is based on the platform of good education and some of the funding for this has come from the workers in the Gulf. I believe India is in a beautiful position to really take off. You have the resources; the intelligence, the "know how" and I think equally India has always been a place of interest for incoming tourism. India has significantly developed in the last 3 to 4 years. 

Keen to focus more acutely on the tremendous wealth of tourism opportunities in India Gulf Air has launched its brand new offering "Indian Experience", a brochure of package tours featuring only India. 

"Indian Experience" is currently being aggressively marketed in all parts of Gulf Air's European, North American, Middle Eastern and Arabian Gulf network to strongly stimulate tourism to India. Gulf Air is sure that this comprehensive and professional product that will undoubtedly help to raise interest abroad and bring even more foreign tourists to India. With Gulf Air's long history of operating to India and the fact that we now serve 7 cities through 78 flights per week, we feel it is a logical statement of our continuing commitment, involvement and interest towards India.

How long have you been in India and what are the challenges you have faced during your tenure?

I have been here for the last two years. In 2003 there were significant changes on our India routes - we launched Gulf Traveller in July to Trivandrum and Bombay and also started a new operation from the Gulf to Cochin. In November we also started flights to Kolkata and Bangalore - bringing the number of Indian cities served up to 7 from the existing four of Bombay, Delhi, Chennai and Trivandrum. So the challenges have been to bring these new routes and products fully on board, ensuring their viability and continuity.

More recently we have launched a through flight from Bombay to London and return that touches down in Muscat for 80 minutes. This represents a great connection in both directions and enables our customers to leave Bombay at lunch time (1400) and arrive London in time for dinner (2100). 

Tell us more about Gulf Traveller.

Gulf Traveller was also a part of Project Falcon. We saw it as a great opportunity to give us greater flexibility with an all economy class product. It is most definitely not a “no-frills" airline - its all-economy, full service. It operates to markets where there is little demand for Business Class and logically appeals to the more price sensitive travellers - holiday makers, business travellers, groups and of course workers. In India we operate it daily from Trivandrum and also one of our 4 daily Mumbai flights is also a Gulf Traveller. It has 257 economy seats, with exactly the same level of service we provide our economy customers on all our aircraft. With Gulf Air Traveller we are tailoring to the needs of the community, to the needs of the market. 

As an airline the addition of Gulf Traveller to our fleet gives us total product flexibility - our Airbus A 330s’ and A 340s’ offer three classes First, Business and Economy; our Boeing B 767s’ and Airbus A 320s’ offer 2 classes Business and Economy and our Gulf Traveller B767s’ offer all economy. So whatever the route finances, whatever the statistics and market opportunities show, the logic is to put the right product for routes that suits best. 

How do you see Tourism to India?

Whilst my portfolio is primarily centered around the need to increase the numbers of passengers we carry ex India, logically sitting here one becomes fully aware of the enormous potential India has for tourism and how it consistently under-achieves in attracting substantially more visitors.

India's tourism potential is phenomenal. I understand that in 2003 two and a half million people visited India. The opportunities to win more and more tourists to this beautiful country are enormous and yet under-realised.

I have strived to put India more and more on the map as far as my colleagues overseas are concerned. Our President James Hogan asked me to give a 30-minute presentation on India to our Worldwide Marketing Conference this year - a task I was very happy to perform.
I have also consistently pushed my colleagues in Gulf Air Holidays to produce the India only brochure - Indian Experience'. The 72 page holiday package brochure has been launched and distributed to our overseas offices to promote travel to and holidays in India. I think that perhaps Gulf Air is the only foreign airline to produce a dedicated package brochure solely on India. It is a tangible sign of our dedication, commitment and support to help bring more and more tourists to this beautiful and engaging country.

Tourism India helped us enormously with our Indian Experience brochure and we are very grateful for their assistance and professionalism.

How has the emergence of "no-frills" airlines affect scheduled airlines like Gulf Air?

The low cost carrier phenomenon is very interesting. I recently attended a low cost carrier symposium in Delhi to understand more how they would affect my business. It would seem that many companies both inside and outside India see this as a viable business proposition. Clearly the sheer numbers of the Indian population are attractive - if they can be encouraged to travel by air and if the price is affordable.

The low cost carrier frenzy that emerged some 6 months ago may be dulled by the massive escalation in aviation fuel prices, which naturally increase costs. It will be interesting to see how Air India succeeds with their new low cost model Air India Express. For Gulf Air and other international carriers, any inroads into the domestic market for low cost could be interesting, permitting easier access to the gateways of the international status airports and thereby feeding the international carriers more readily. 

Which is your preferred destination being a widely travelled person?

I think its like appetite - sometimes you fancy a biryani and some times you fancy a dosa. Places have different appeals - I like to visit Delhi and Kolkata, but I might not go there as part of a holiday. I like the beaches of Goa and Kerala where I would be inclined to stay a week…

Although I have travelled quite extensively, I am always keen to see new places, to explore. Florence holds a special place in my thoughts and I am sure I will return. Ihavereally enjoyed the Far East, Australia and the Caribbean. My holidays have generally been of two weeks - one week of culture and one week of beach - I need to chill out. 

On your personal side, tell us about your family and hobbies. 

My wife Alice and I have three children - Jamie & Lara are at University in the U.K. and Katy is just about to enter University in UK. All three of our children have been fortunate to visit us in India regularly and they love it. They bring their friends and head off for Goa, Kochi and more recently Himachal, where my son returned with photos that were simply wonderful. Now, I definitely want to go to Himachal and Sikkim. I like reading in my spare time and keeping in touch with friends and family over the net. I also really enjoy music.

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