Nearly three months after liquor baron Vijay Mallya picked up a stake in low-cost carrier Air Deccan, its executive chairman, GR Gopinath, is making plans to branch out into other businesses. ?I don?t think that beyond two years they (Air Deccan) will need any more handholding. Then, I will look at other things,? he told FE on Monday.
?My aim is to lead Air Deccan from the front and establish it as a company with great enduring value. Then, I would have achieved my dreams. I want to create wealth for the country and as a consequence create wealth for myself,? said Gopinath, who gave the country its first low-cost carrier in August 2003.
?I am a first generation entrepreneur. I started from scratch with no funding and no political backing. Now, the company has become really big with over 3,000 employees, 350 flights, 500 pilots, 500 engineers, 600 airhostesses and 45 aircraft. In one or two months, I will detail my future plans,? he said. For now, though, his plans include starting international routes next year.
As for Kingfisher?s plans to fly to the US riding on Air Deccan, Gopinath said the two would be complementary not competing services. ?Kingfisher will operate wide-bodied long-haul flights, while we will go for short hauls,? he said.