'Deccan Aviation to come out with Aerial Map'

Bangalore, Sept 12: India's largest private sector helicopter charter company Deccan Aviation is working on preparing an Aerial Map, Company Executive Chairman Capt G R Gopinath said today.

In a chat with newsmen here after signing MoU with Apollo Hospitals for launch of Air Ambulance, he said that despite having air potentiality the country has failed to utilise the opportunity and the country was not having an Aerial Map of its own. "Our experts sitting in Bangalore draw such maps of European countries but not our own", he regretted.

Capt Gopinath said that already talks were on with a France based SCE company with regard to drawing Aerial Map of the Country. It would attract foreign investment in operating helicopter service for geophysical service since mining had been privatised.

Replying to a question, he said that the Kingfisher Airlines investment in Deccan Aviation had helped in many ways. "Already various aspects of leveraging the integration, the synergy was already taking place like common Logistic Manager for both Air Deccan and Kingfisher Airlines. All infrastructures developed by each have been brought under one roof and this would lead to improve the efficiency and to bring down the cost of operation".

Vijay Mallya owned Kingfisher recently bought 26 per cent stakes in Air Deccan at a price of Rs 550 crore.

To another question, he said that the company was seriously thinking of having a common brandage but maintain separate identity.

"We are working to have a common brandage at the same time maintain separate identity of both Air Deccan and Kingfisher Airlines", he added.

Capt Gopinath said that the Logo was also likely to undergo minor change with inclusion of KF airlines. He said that Air Deccan, after getting approval from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), would operate smaller aircraft in South Asia, South East Asia and Kingfisher would fly to London and New York.

Air Deccan was the largest flight operator in the country having 360 flights per day as compared to 325 by Jet Airways and 310 of Indian.

"We have largest flight network, we are going to 60 cities every day against Jet Airways 43. Now after Kingfisher Airlines joining the fleet service would increase as Air Deccan passenger can fly in Kingfisher airlines also," he said.

Declining to come out with quantum of jump in revenues expected after getting investment from the Kingfisher Airlines, Capt Gopinath said that "It is very early, but the benefit would be more and it helps both the companies," he added.

UNI