India’s aviation market

In November last year, Aviation New Zealand led its first trade mission of eight companies to India for meetings with Indian air authorities and airlines in New Deli, Mumbai and Chennai.

India’s total passenger traffic in 2008/09 was 69 million. With India’s GDP expected to grow by six to eight percent this year, demand for quality pilot and air traffic control training, as well as for aircraft maintenance and other services, is expected to continue.

Aviation New Zealand chief executive John Nicholson says by cooperating together on the mission, the companies were able to present a combined capacity.

This allowed the New Zealanders to visit large Indian companies that would have been beyond their capability to serve as individual companies.

“With the exception of Air New Zealand and the Christchurch Engine Centre, the New Zealand companies didn’t have the contacts at the level we were able to achieve. And by going direct to the customer, they were able to get a better understanding of how the customer’s supply chain worked.

“A number of companies have since said that the level of contact achieved and the numbers of companies visited would have taken them at least 12 months to achieve on their own. They now know the CEOs and in their ongoing dealings in India – where who you know is very important – they can name-drop.”

New Zealand’s capability

In meetings with the heads of Indian airlines, Aviation New Zealand presented the capability of New Zealand’s aviation industry as a whole – its pilot training, maintenance repair and overhaul, and service solutions.

“The airlines could see from their viewpoint that New Zealand could be a suitable supplier of a variety of aviation products and services,” Nicholson says.

With pilot training, the mission explained how New Zealand companies work with an airline to ensure the people selected, and the training, will be tailored for the airline’s needs.

There are estimates of some 5,000 unemployed Indian pilots who have received training that is not suitable for the airlines’ requirements.

Aviation New Zealand also took the opportunity at its stand at the Singapore Airshow, held 2-7 February, to facilitate follow-up meetings between the visiting Indian and New Zealand companies.

“Projects can take two to three years to come to fruition,” says Nicholson. “The challenge is for New Zealand companies to buy into the concept of Aviation New Zealand – they often only want to be involved where they can see evidence of immediate, real benefits and that’s not always possible.”