The Indian AvGeek

What does it take to reimagine flight for India’s cities — and make it affordable, scalable, and safe? In this episode of The Indian AvGeek, I sit down with Prof. Satya Chakravarthy, Founder, CEO-CTO of The ePlane Company and long-time professor at IIT Madras, to explore how deep-tech innovation is reshaping the skies above us. From his early fascination with aerospace engineering to his bold leap...

A deep dive into the tech, governance, and everyday friction of modern air travel with the person who helped turn a fringe idea into India’s biometric travel backbone. Suresh Khadakbhavi walks us from a muddy auto ride before his BIAL interview to the pilot with Jet Airways that proved passenger-first biometrics could scale nationally and explains how Digi Yatra is designed to enable seamless jour...

In this episode of The Indian AvGeek, we welcome Ameya Joshi, Founder of NetworkThoughts.com to unpack Delhi Airport’s rise as a global transfer hub, explore underserved corridors, and chart India’s changing network dynamics. From terminal revamps and new mega-hubs to airline slot wars and bold contrarian forecasts, Ameya lays out the strategic moves that will define the next decade of Indian avia...

A milestone episode for The Indian AvGeek. For our fiftieth show we welcome Nathaniel Pieper, an airline lifer who now leads Oneworld. Expect a conversation that blends airline boardroom strategy with the pure joy of flight — fleet tales, alliance chess, lounge plans for India, and the kind of technical nitty gritty only someone who’s ridden the industry for decades can tell. ✈️ How it began — Nat...

Episode 49 features Jay Shabat, the founder of Airline Weekly (now Skift Airline Weekly) and senior aviation analyst at Skift. In this episode, Jay shares his unique journey from revenue analyst at US Airways to becoming one of the industry’s most respected voices, teaching IATA courses worldwide, and publishing influential industry analysis. Along the way, Jay shares timeless lessons, academic in...

Episode 48 of The Indian AvGeek featured Behramjee Ghadially, Senior Manager, Route Network Planning at CAMAIR and aviation analyst. We unpacked the latest in network planning, fleet deployment, and market opportunities across Asia, Africa, and the Gulf. The show was led, however, with the revival of India–China direct flights and how airlines like Air India and IndiGo are positioned to capitalize...

Episode number 47 of The Indian AvGeek, Vishal sits down with Mike Malik—veteran airline sales leader turned marketing chief at Cirium, to trace a remarkable journey through aviation. From sales at American Airlines and leading Aloha Air Cargo to co-founding Maxjet, Mike shares stories of entrepreneurial grit and strategic pivots that shaped his career. We then dive into Cirium’s mission: how this...

This isn’t just a cabin tour with John Walton, Editor-in-Chief, The Up Front—it’s a conversation about culture, ambition, and the art and science of making every inch of metal feel like home. Whether you’re an AvGeek, a frequent-flyer strategist, or simply curious about how airlines craft memorable journeys, John’s insider stories and strategic insights will equip you to see every flight in a whol...

In this special edition of The Indian AvGeek, we have three of India’s leading aviation experts—Sanjay Lazar, Devesh Agarwal, and Captain Kishore Chinta—to dissect the preliminary AI171 crash report. Through a blend of technical insight and human-factors analysis, they chart the accident timeline, examine cockpit ergonomics, and question the selective data release by AAIB. From the fuel control sw...

🎙️ In this riveting conversation, Jean-Pierre Clercin, Commercial Head of ATR in APAC, talks us through the evolving turboprop narrative in India and beyond. From new orders at the Paris Air Show 2025 to insights on regional connectivity, we dig into how ATR plans to serve a fast-growing Indian market projected to need 200+ ATR aircraft. JP candidly reflects on the U.S. market and the dominance of...

In this episode, The Indian AvGeek dives deep with Brian Sumers, founder and editor of The Airline Observer. From the emotional roots of his aviation journey to hot takes from the IATA AGM in New Delhi, Brian reflects on how airline strategy, sustainability, and industry dynamics are evolving. We unpack IndiGo’s rise, Air India’s international ambitions, and Rakesh Gangwal’s legacy, while sizing u...

The world’s most renowned points & miles guru, the founder of The Points Guy, Brian Kelly, joins this episode of The Indian AvGeek. Brian talks in detail about the growth of the points and miles scene worldwide and how it has evolved. We spoke extensively about his new book, “How to Win at Travel,” sharing key insights for travelers and points enthusiasts alike. Brian spoke about how consumers see...

This week Arvind Chandrasekhar, the Director of Sales India and Head of Network, Fleet Management at Lufthansa Consulting, discusses in detail the world of aviation consulting. We delve deep into the business of airports in India, ranging from the projects undertaken by Lufthansa Consulting to challenges & opportunities for airport infrastructure in the country for the next five years.  We also di...

The 40th episode of The Indian AvGeek features Abhijit DasGupta, the head of planning and revenue management at IndiGo. Abhijit details everything, from his background at Jet Airways to joining IndiGo & the first challenge he had. We discussed how new routes are selected, decisions on fleet orders, working with airport marketing teams, lease operations with Turkish Airlines, the importance of conn...

Brett Snyder, the founder of Cranky Flier and the host of The Air Show podcast, joins to discuss a wide variety of issues. From the impact of tariffs on aviation to Boeing and Airbus, Embraer’s NGNB, the importance of the Indian market for US airlines, Norse Atlantic planes with IndiGo, XLRs, Air India, regional aviation, Alaska Airlines’ plans for India, next-generation aircraft, and lessons that...

Pradeep Panicker (CEO of Hyderabad International Airport) joins episode 38 to discuss near and long-term plans for the airport, one of the most important in the country. We discuss the reasons for HYD’s success, future infrastructure plans, sensory passenger experience, how the airport attracts international airlines, identification of lateral demand, opening new domestic city pairs, regional avia...

Mauro Oretti joins the podcast to talk about alliances in detail. We discussed mergers vs. alliances. Entries and exits at SkyTeam: What does success look like to the alliance? The lack of Indian carriers in the alliance— if the close partnership with KLM-AF would lead to IndiGo becoming a member, the importance of the Indian market, SkyTeam-branded lounges, the next-generation alliance, SkyTeam’s...

Richard Aboulafia, Managing Director of AeroDynamic Advisory, joins me to discuss various topics, ranging from the past to the present and the future of the aviation industry. We discuss his thoughts on the A, B, C, and E of the sector - Airbus, Boeing, Comac, and Embraer - in detail. Right from their existing aircraft programs to their future plans. We also discuss Richard’s detailed views on the...

Episode number 35 of The Indian AvGeek features Alok Anand, from Acumen Aviation, continuing our in-depth chat from last week about aircraft leasing in India and the various intricacies around the business. In this episode we dive deeper into different types of leasing models (SLB and PLB), how Indian airlines are leasing, why it is essential to have a homegrown aircraft leasing industry in the co...

Just as the Indian Parliament approved a bill to empower Cape Town convention and aircraft protocol, Alok Anand joined us to give an in-depth perspective of the Indian aircraft leasing market, how the entire process works, wet and dry leasing, as well as leasing done via GIFT City by Indian airlines so far and if it is any good? Alok Anand - @AlokAnand77 Vishal Mehra - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠...

I caught up with Rafat just a few days after the conclusion of a very successful Skift India Forum 2025. We engaged in a comprehensive conversation about the power of travel, the intricate relationship with aviation, the Indian market, and the potential benefits of a "connected trip." We also discussed in detail his thoughts on Air India and IndiGo, the potential of artificial intelligence in trav...

Episode number 32 features Daniel Bircher, Chairman and MD at the Noida International Airport. Detailed discussion involving all aspects of the airport launching soon. ✈️Daniel’s background in aviation, how he got into the business. ✈️His time at BLR as the director of operations. How those learnings are helping him at DXN? ✈️When will DXN commence operations? ✈️Will cargo operations start earlier...

This show features the co-founder and host of The Great Indian Points & Miles Show, Aadil Bandukwala. We break down points and miles scene for Indian travelers, both new and well-versed. ✈️ Points & miles landscape in India ✈️ Advice to get started in points & miles ✈️ Top tips for international redemptions ✈️ Top credit card recommendations ✈️ How to overcome redemption challenges? ✈️ Emerging tr...

The 30th episode of The Indian AvGeek features a veteran of the global aviation industry. With all the news around IndiGo’s expansion into Europe, we sat down with the ex-CCO of IndiGo, Willy Boulter. - [ ] Willy’s start and background in the aviation industry - [ ] His time at Etihad and Jet Airways, working experience with Naresh Goyal - [ ] What made IndiGo such a massive success? - [ ] How was...

This is the second part of our conversation with Mark Ross-Smith, the CEO of Loyalty Status Co - StatusMatch. In this episode, we go deeper into the business of airline loyalty and status matching. * How does StatusMatch do its marketing? * The importance of points/miles websites * The power of authenticity in loyalty marketing * Story behind the viral “Chocolate Airlines,” which went viral * How...