Warwick Brady takes charge as chief operating officer of Air Deccan

Warwick Brady has taken charge as chief operating officer of
India's low-cost airline Air Deccan. Brady, who spent three years with
Ryanair, was chosen following a rigorous search by the airline.

Brady, who spent three years with Ryanair, had recently said,
"Air Deccan has an exciting growth plan ahead, continuing to deliver
rapid growth and further building upon its strong position in the
rapidly expanding Indian low cost airline market. I look forward to
leading the Air Deccan team to deliver an efficient low cost operation
which will continue to provide low fares coupled with excellent
service."

 

He was the deputy director operations of Ryanair with the
overall responsibility of the Stansted Airport. As the deputy chief
executive officer of Buzz, he was instrumental in restructuring,
restarting and assimilation of Buzz into Ryanair. He started his
professional career as a pilot with Britannia Airways, Air Deccan said.

 

With a fleet strength of 30 aircraft to be reached by this
year-end, "it would make us the second largest private sector airline in
the country", Air Deccan's managing director Capt G. R. Gopinath had
recently told media.

 

"A new expatriate COO, 600 new flights and 60 aircraft over the
next five years; a $10-million investment for a hangar apart from an
addition of a newly tapped market of three million passengers by April
2006 - these are a few bits of Capt G. R. Gopinath's "explosive growth
plan" for his two-year-old budget airline," said a media report
recently. 

 

For the current year, Air Deccan expects to achieve a turnover
of US$227 million, up from US$79.5 million  in 2004-05. It currently
operates five Airbus A320s and 12 ATR 42s. Late last year, it ordered 62
new aircraft - 32 A320s and 30 ATR-72s - which are to be delivered over
the next 60 months at almost one aircraft a month.

 

Like Air Deccan, India's new airlines had hired experienced
hands from international markets in the recent past.

 

Kingfisher Airlines Limited announced that Alex Wilcox will
continue as President and a member of the Board of Directors and
Executive Committee of Kingfisher Airlines Limited, and to strengthen
the executive management, the airline also appointed Nigel Harwood as
chief operating officer.

 

Also, InterGlobe, which has already announced an order for 100
aircraft, the largest  in the Indian aviation history, has named Bruce
Ashby as the chief executive officer for its new low cost carrier,
IndiGo.