The Indian #AvGeek

Fifteen airlines. One alliance. Millions of frequent flyers. And a rather complicated question: how do you make it all work as one?

For Episode 82 of The Indian AvGeek, our Diwali Special, Vishal Mehra is joined by two people who understand the machinery behind oneworld better than anybody: Roger Blackburn, VP Commercial & Loyalty, and Gilbert Ott, Director, Loyalty.

We get into the questions that rarely make it into airline press releases.

Why doesn't oneworld have an Indian member airline? Could Delhi or Mumbai eventually get a dedicated oneworld lounge? Who actually pays when four different airlines are involved in delivering one passenger's journey? And what happens to airline loyalty when AI agents start booking flights on our behalf?

Gilbert, who made his name scrutinising airline loyalty programmes, discusses Alaska's Atmos Rewards, the future of elite recognition, the economics of miles and credit cards, and whether frequent flyers should expect more personalised benefits.

Roger takes us behind the commercial relationships that hold an alliance together, from competing member airlines and joint ventures to the Taj Hotels partnership, Philippine Airlines' planned entry and new opportunities in India.

There are also some unexpected detours into Oman Air, noodles, global Wi-Fi and what both executives would change about oneworld if they could.

http://www.TheIndianGeek.com

Vishal on X - https://x.com/vishal1mehra

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vishal1mehra/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishal1mehra/

The Indian AdGeek streams on all podcast apps.

Why do Iceland's low-cost airlines keep going bust, and can long-haul low-cost ever work?

In Episode 81 of The Indian AvGeek, Vishal Mehra speaks with Birgir Jonsson, founding CEO of PLAY Airlines, former Deputy CEO of WOW air & former CEO of Iceland Express. Three airlines, one vantage point on the low-cost transatlantic model.

In this episode:

- Why Iceland Express was the only profitable airline Birgir worked at

- How Iceland's hub-and-spoke model really makes money (hint: not from connecting passengers)

- Whether the A321XLR threatens the Icelandic stopover

- WOW air's wide-body gamble, its Delhi–Reykjavik launch, & why he calls the ₹27,000 fare a marketing stunt

- PLAY's fuel-price & demand shocks, and its ACMI pivot

- Norse Atlantic, IndiGo's wet-lease wind-down and what it signals

- SAS, Air France-KLM and consolidation, plus Norwegian's shrink-to-survive playbook

- His advice for airline founders, including India: protect cash and CASK

http://www.TheIndianGeek.com

Vishal on X - https://x.com/vishal1mehra

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vishal1mehra/

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The Indian AdGeek streams on all podcast apps.

Rome Fiumicino has grown into a 51 million-passenger global hub and India is firmly on its radar for what comes next.

In Episode 80 of The Indian AvGeek, Vishal Mehra speaks with Federico Scriboni, Director Aviation Business Development at Aeroporti di Roma, about how airports actually build airline networks, identify new routes and convince carriers that a market can work.

Federico explains ADR’s “magic triangle” of route development — market opportunity, commercial and marketing support, and operational execution and takes us inside Fiumicino’s next phase of growth.

We discuss Air India and ITA Airways between Delhi and Rome, the opportunity for Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai, ADR’s conversations with IndiGo, and how the Airbus A321XLR could reshape the economics of thinner long-haul routes.

Also on the agenda: Rome’s extraordinary North American growth, Fiumicino’s infrastructure expansion, the proposed fourth runway, and how ADR balances two very different airports in Fiumicino and Ciampino.

A conversation about what it really takes to put a new line on the global aviation map.

http://www.TheIndianGeek.com

Vishal on X - https://x.com/vishal1mehra

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vishal1mehra/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishal1mehra/

The Indian AdGeek streams on all podcast apps.

What does it actually take to convince an airline to deploy a $200 million aircraft on a brand new route?

On Episode 79 of The Indian AvGeek, Vishal Mehra sits down with Leon Verhallen, Director Aviation Development at Brussels Airport Company, to look at the business of airport route development.

Few people have watched European aviation evolve from as many vantage points as Leon. He began his career at Fokker, spent years helping develop Amsterdam Schiphol during its emergence as one of Europe's great hubs, and has spent nearly two decades shaping the aviation strategy of Brussels Airport.

Leon also takes us inside the story of Jet Airways' legendary Brussels scissor hub, an operation that once connected India and North America through a tightly choreographed bank of widebody flights at Brussels.

We discussed:

• How airports actually pitch new routes to airlines
• Why winning a route can take anywhere from six months to ten years
• The five factors airlines examine before choosing an airport
• Why incentives alone cannot rescue a weak route business case
• How Brussels competes with Amsterdam, Paris and airports across one of Europe's most contested catchments
• The strategy Brussels calls “Have Seats, Will Travel”
• The role of Brussels Airlines inside Lufthansa Group
• Why Africa remains strategically important to the Brussels hub
• How pharma cargo gives Brussels another competitive advantage
• Why airport politics, noise restrictions and slots can alter network strategy
• Why Brussels believes better high-speed rail connectivity could transform its catchment
• How airport route development has changed over Leon's four decades in aviation

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Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vishal1mehra/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vishal1mehra/

On many flights you have taken - the booking, the check-in, the cargo hold below your feet, the crew rescheduling when things go wrong, is running on software you've never heard of. That software is IBS.In Episode 78 of The Indian AvGeek, host Vishal Mehra sits down with Somit Goyal, CEO of IBS Software, for one of the most technically rich conversations on this channel. Somit comes to aviation from Microsoft, SAP and Oracle, he's spent two years dismantling the assumption that aviation is "too complex" for modern enterprise software thinking.Episode Timestamps

00:04 – Welcome to Episode 78 00:57 – Debunking the "Aviation is Uniquely Complex" Myth 03:11 – Why Aviation Lags Other Industries in Tech Adoption 04:28 – Core KPIs: Time-to-Value, NPS, and AI Metrics 06:17 – How Airline Boardrooms view AI 07:53 – Customer Success in High-Stakes Aviation ($CS = CX + CO$) 11:05 – iRetail Architecture vs. Legacy PSS Systems 13:22 – Why NDC is a Plumbing Fix, Not Modern Retailing 15:24 – Deploying Agentic AI in Crew & Cargo Operations 18:55 – The Korean Air Migration: "Open Heart Surgery While Running a Marathon" 23:16 – Scale in Indian Aviation: Shifting IT from Cost Item to Strategic Pillar 26:13 – Unlocking Next-Gen Loyalty Ecosystems in India 29:50 – Delivering SaaS Value to LCCs and Regional Airlines 32:56 – $2B Integration: Merging Alaska & Hawaiian Airlines Cargo Operations 35:37 – Mitigating the $60 Billion Disruption (IROP) Problem 40:46 – Powering Air New Zealand's Skynest In-Flight Sleep Pods 44:12 – Episode Wrap-Up & Upcoming Teaser Vishal Mehra on X

The Indian AvGeek streams on all apps and platforms.

If you've ever walked through an airport terminal and wondered who keeps it all running, this episode is for you.

In Episode 77 of The Indian AvGeek, Vishal Mehra interviews Sunil Ankalgi, Business Head at WAISL Limited (Ex-Amadeus, Ex-SITA), to discuss the complex digital infra powering modern airports. From why legacy global platforms struggle to keep pace with Indian growth to what an actual Digital Twin does versus a glorified analytics dashboard, this episode strips away the hype around airport tech.

Key Highlights:

• Who is the Real Customer? Balancing airlines, airport operators, governments, and passengers.
• The Global vs. Local Playbook: Why India’s origin-destination growth breaks traditional global IT models.
• Airside Goldmine: Why saving 10 minutes on a turnaround unlocks 4 additional flights a day.
• The Biometric Friction: Why DigiYatra identity resets across check-in, security, and border control.
• AI Reality Check: Computer vision in production vs. the myth of automated gate assignments.
• The CEO Metric: Why airport leadership should track Asset Idle Time per Passenger Minute.

The Indian AvGeek streams on all podcast apps.

Vishal Mehra - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

#IndianAviation #AviationNews #IndianAirports #aviation #Airports #AirportStrategy

In Episode 76 of The Indian AvGeek, host Vishal Mehra sits down with Karim Makhlouf, CCO of Royal Jordanian Airlines, for a deep dive in global aviation strategy.

Karim shares commercial insights from his 27-year career, pioneering €19 fare drops at Germanwings, navigating mid-sized flag carrier challenges at Malév Hungary, and launching premium startups like SaudiGulf.

He breaks down Royal Jordanian’s roadmap to 52 aircraft by 2032, the performance of the Mumbai and Delhi routes, GTF engine insulation tactics, and turning empty seats into high-yield tourism via the ExplorJordan platform.

The Indian AvGeek streams on all podcast apps.

Vishal Mehra - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

#RoyalJordanian #ExploRJordan#Aviation #AviationPodcast #AirlineStrategy #MiddleEastAviation #NetworkPlanning #RevenueManagement #IndianAviation

In a wild 48 hour window, Indian aviation delivered a decade’s worth of news, forcing an emergency out-of-turn Episode 75 of The Indian AvGeek! Air India named Ethiopian Airlines architect Tewolde Gebremariam as its new CEO. Simultaneously, IndiGo has got industry heavyweight Willie Walsh right as it marks its 20th anniversary. To top it off, IndiGo quietly pulled back its leased Boeing 787 long-haul operations, while Air India went on the offensive, expanding North American routes and upgrading its Toronto services.

Host Vishal Mehra sits down with aviation experts Sean Mendis and Ameya Joshi (NetworkThoughts) to break down this historic week.

• The "Indian Plane League" (IPL): Do Tewolde and Willie Walsh signal that Indian aviation has officially moved to global-tier competition?
• The Tewolde Factor: How he achieved Ethiopian’s 15-year goal in 11 years and whether the "Ethiopian Model" can work for Air India's massive domestic O&D market.
• Willie Walsh at IndiGo: Can a legacy full-service network leader manage an LCC hybrid evolution without disrupting IndiGo’s cost DNA?
• The 787 Reality Check: Why IndiGo’s Norse damp-lease experiment failed under currency, airspace, and ACMI pressures.
• Air India’s Long-Haul Strategy: Capturing diaspora loyalty with Mumbai–Toronto flights and refreshed long-haul cabins.
• The 5-Year Outlook: Who wins the long-haul battle when two market leaders adopt opposite widebody strategies?

The Indian AvGeek streams on all podcast apps.

Vishal Mehra - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sean Mendis - @SeanMendis

Ameya Joshi - @Khabri_Lal

#IndianAviation #AirIndia #IndiGo #AviationPodcast #TewoldeGebremariam #WillieWalsh #Boeing787 #A350 #AviationNews

Why does airline loyalty vanish the exact moment your luggage hits the arrival carousel?

In Episode 74 of The Indian AvGeek, host Vishal Mehra sits down with Safir Jamal, Founder & CEO of Passtination (and creator of Global Nomad Pass). Safir spent over a decade driving global strategy for giants like Procter & Gamble and Ford before turning his attention to a major flaw in aviation: airlines understand you as a passenger in seat 14C, but have zero idea who you are as a person once you step out of the airport.

In this episode:

✈️ How travel spend often leaks away from local economies

✈️ Why airlines are missing out on white-space revenue (dining, local experiences, shopping) by ending their touchpoints at the arrival gate

✈️ Having 50 million enrolled loyalty members means nothing if most are dormant and how activating just 15-20% on the ground changes the economics of loyalty

✈️ Why Passtination intentionally ditched app downloads in favour of native Apple & Google passes to eliminate friction for flyers & airlines

✈️ Merchant-funded discounts, flat-fee destination pricing, 100% margin upgrades, & using on-the-ground perks to clear point liabilities off balance sheets

✈️ How in-destination location triggers allow airlines to detect when a loyal member took a competitor flight and drop an instant push notification offer to win them back!

✈️ Building localised in-destination ecosystems for Indian carriers like Air India and IndiGo, as well as global hubs targeting the booming Indian traveller base

The Indian AvGeek streams on all podcast apps.

Vishal Mehra - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

#AirlineLoyalty #AviationPodcast #FrequentFlyer #TravelTech #LoyaltyPrograms #IndianAviation #LoyaltyMarketing

Episode 73 of The Indian AvGeek features Antony Oliver Fernandes, Head - Network Planning & Revenue Optimization at Jazeera Airways, for a conversation that runs from the ambitious, wide-body dreams of Kingfisher Airlines to rebuilding an entire airline's network from scratch in a matter of days.

✈️ From Kingfisher Airlines' wide-body ambitions to yield management, and what that taught him before he ever landed in the Gulf
✈️ Building Jazeera Airways' network thesis inside a market with no hub ambitions, a protected national carrier like Kuwait Airways, and tight bilateral and slot constraints

✈️ Inside Project Baraka: rebuilding Jazeera's network in a neighbouring market after the airspace shutdown, and whether it is a repeatable crisis playbook
✈️ Why the A320neo made the tight margins of Project Baraka viable, and what the A321XLR means for the long haul LCC debate
✈️ Competing with IndiGo, Air Arabia & flydubai as the smaller carrier on overlapping routes
✈️ Tug of war between revenue teams chasing proven yield and network planners betting on long term portfolio value
✈️ How pax behaviour on a migrant heavy corridor like Dhaka differs from a business leisure market like Kuwait, and what that does to scheduling and pricing
✈️ Where AI and forecasting tools end and human judgement in network planning still wins

The Indian AvGeek streams on all podcast apps.

Vishal on X - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

How does an airport leap from 21st to 2nd place in international connectivity rankings among major European hubs?

In the 72nd episode of The Indian AvGeek, we sit down with Ioanna Papadopoulou, the Director of Communications & Marketing at Athens International Airport (AIA), to talk one of the most fascinating growth stories in modern aviation. With India overtaking China as Greece’s leading long-haul market, Athens has positioned itself at the epicentre of a massive geopolitical and economic shift.

✈️ The inside story of how the conversation started, the narrative built to convince IndiGo, and how long-haul narrowbody economics are challenging traditional widebody hub-and-spoke models

✈️ Can Athens compete with Dubai, Doha, and Istanbul as a transit hub for Indian travelers, and what is its structural edge?

✈️ How AIA balances its dominant home carrier, Aegean, while aggressively diversifying its network portfolio of 70 airlines

✈️ A look at whether current India-Greece bilateral air services agreements are a floor or a ceiling, and the impact of new consulates in Mumbai & Bengaluru

✈️ Operational insights gained from piloting AI-powered emotional engagement dashboards to measure passenger sentiment in real time

✈️ The existential infrastructure, climate, and regulatory hurdles Athens must clear to remain relevant on the global stage.

Hit that follow button, leave us a rating, and dive into the future of Euro-Indian aviation connectivity!

The Indian AvGeek streams on all podcast apps.

Vishal Mehra - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Episode 71 of The Indian AvGeek, host Vishal Mehra sits down with two of the sharpest minds in the business.

Fresh off AviaDev 2026, Sean Mendis and Behramjee Ghadially join the show for an unfiltered, deeply analytical discussion on the geopolitical and structural shifts in aviation.

As India aggressively pursues a multi-hub model across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and even Rajkot. We look at whether India is making a strategic error by not doubling down on a single mega-hub. We break down the stark realities of IndiGo's massive scale versus its missing sixth-freedom strategy and evaluate how Air India is sequencing its high-stakes widebody international rebuild.

Beyond India's borders, the aviation landscape is getting complicated. We dissect the hidden operational costs of the West Asia airspace crisis, from disrupted crew schedules to punishing engine cycles and debate a building thesis: Is Gulf hub supremacy finally peaking as point-to-point long-haul becomes viable via the A321XLR?

Plus, we explore the entry of Riyadh Air, the stealthy dominance of Gulf LCCs on trunk routes, and the glaring, underserved commercial opportunities waiting in Sub-Saharan Africa.

We wrap up the roundtable with a look at how cargo is shifting from an operational afterthought to a day-one business case requirement, alongside a look at the most underrated aviation markets in the world that the industry is completely sleeping on.

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Sean Mendis - @SeanMendis

Vishal Mehra - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What does it take to run one of the world's largest, busiest aviation mega-hubs while actively chasing the world's fastest-growing aviation market?

In Episode 70 of The Indian AvGeek, we sit down with Chris McLaughlin, CEO of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), to unpack the ultra-long-haul economics, airspace complexities, and massive infrastructure upgrades redefining global travel.

Chris dives deep into the data behind why a direct DEL–DFW nonstop is "inevitable", how premium passenger demand from Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad is shifting the calculus, and what the "last mile" hurdle truly is for Air India.

We also explore the operational realities of a mega-hub: how DFW plays matchmaker for airlines outside traditional alliances, the massive $42 billion economic engine of belly cargo, using advanced modular construction for the new Terminal F, and future-proofing gates specifically to handle the upcoming Boeing 777X. We discuss JetZero’s radical Blended Wing Body (BWB) aircraft & the role of airports in making them an operational reality. From his early days helping launch TSA PreCheck to the future of biometrics and DigiYatra, Chris shares insights on airport operation, anchor-carrier relationships with American Airlines, and the next five years of global connectivity.

The Indian AvGeek streams on all podcast apps. Subscribe so you never miss a takeoff! ✈️

Vishal Mehra - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

What does it actually take to build a great passenger experience at 35,000 feet and who's keeping airlines honest when they fall short?

In Episode 69 of The Indian AvGeek, Vishal Mehra sits down with Seth Miller, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of PaxEx.Aero and host of the Dots, Lines & Destinations podcast, one of the sharpest minds covering in-flight product, cabin design, connectivity, and the business of passenger experience globally.

Fresh off AIX 2026, Seth and Vishal go deep on what was real versus what was theatre on the show floor, why Air India's premium transformation still has miles to go, what it would take for IndiGo to move upmarket without losing its operational DNA, and whether the Gulf super-connectors are still the reference point for Indian airlines or if the benchmark has quietly shifted.

They also get into Emirates activating Starlink on its A380 and what that bandwidth ceiling finally means for passengers, the IFEC business model that keeps getting reinvented without ever working, Burrana turning seatbacks into digital billboards, Collins Aerospace's SkyNook winning the Crystal Cabin Award, the A321XLR's narrowbody-premium puzzle, and whether business class suites have genuinely hit an innovation ceiling.

The Indian AvGeek streams on all podcast apps. Subscribe so you never miss a takeoff! ✈️

Seth on BlueSky - @wandrme.paxex.aero

Vishal Mehra - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

On Episode 68 of The Indian AvGeek, host Vishal Mehra sits down with Wilco Sweijen, Airline Partnerships Director at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, for a behind-the-curtain conversation on how AMS picks its airline partners, courts new routes, and quietly shapes the future of European long-haul aviation.

✈️ India-Amsterdam corridor: 42 flights/week & 8,48,000 pax in 2025, with 26% point-to-point passengers

✈️ IndiGo at AMS: how that conversation actually began

✈️ Slot archaeology: art of finding underutilised slots & the delicate diplomacy of "use it or lose it" conversations

✈️ "The best incentive we offer is that you actually got the slots" Wilco on why Schiphol's value proposition is fundamentally different from Gulf and Turkish hubs

✈️ KLM question: can Schiphol genuinely be neutral when its anchor carrier already flies DEL, BOM, HYD & BLR?

✈️ Why Barcelona–El Prat is Schiphol's busiest route at 95 weekly flights, & what that tells you about hub geometry

✈️ Coaching airlines: the service Schiphol provides to help carriers actually win the slots they need

✈️ Has anyone seriously pitched Chennai or Ahmedabad to Amsterdam?

✈️Wish list: why Qantas remains the one carrier Schiphol would love to land

✈️ Sustainability vs. competitiveness: Is Schiphol's green stance a gift to Frankfurt, Istanbul, and Brussels?

✈️ What happens when partnerships fail, the digital twin advantage, & a 10-year vision for what Schiphol's airline portfolio should look like

The Indian AvGeek streams on all podcast apps.

Vishal Mehra - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

In Episode 67 of The Indian AvGeek, we are going under the hood of one of the world’s most aggressive loyalty transformations. Our guest is Mark Potter, Managing Director of Etihad Guest.

India is Etihad Guest's second-largest member market globally, and it's growing faster than any other. With 13.5 million members worldwide and a program that's quietly evolving from an airline loyalty scheme into something closer to a fintech platform, the stakes have never been higher. We don't just talk about seat upgrades. We dive into the porous ecosystem strategy: Why did Etihad enable two-way transfers with Flipkart? How do you maintain a premium brand when members earn miles on Swiggy grocery deliveries? And in a world of status inflation, what does a $150,000 spend for the new Diamond Tier actually get you?

In this episode:

✈️ How Etihad Guest cracked India, and why the country could be its biggest market by the end of 2026

✈️ The SBI Card to BOBCARD switch for the Indian credit card market

✈️ 6/members every minute in India, but does scale kill exclusivity?

✈️ Status inflation - when everyone's Elite, what does the lounge door even mean anymore?

✈️ Bilateral rights at capacity, does the loyalty program become the growth engine for Etihad in India?

✈️ In 5 years, is Etihad Guest still an airline program or a fintech platform that happens to own some airplane seats?

✈️ Building loyalty programs that appeal to Agentic AI algorithms.

The Indian AvGeek streams on all podcast apps.

Vishal Mehra - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Episode 66 of The Indian AvGeek is part 2 of one of the most substantive conversations this show has ever hosted, and it goes deeper.

Thomas Jaeger (Founder, ch-aviation) and Addison Schonland (Founder, AirInsight Group) are back, and this time the conversation turns to the questions that keep airline executives, analysts, and engineers up at night.

We start with the engine crisis, and the numbers are stark. ch-aviation data puts the global AoG count at somewhere between 300 and 500+ aircraft grounded due to engine-related issues. GTF shop visit turnarounds have ballooned from 60 days to over 300. The question isn't whether MRO capacity is under pressure; it's whether it can realistically calibrate itself before 2027 or whether we're staring at a structural deficit that reshapes how airlines plan their fleets entirely.

✈️ Boeing vs. Airbus dilemma: For an airline needing capacity in 2028, which is the bigger gamble: Boeing’s quality recovery or Airbus’s decade-long backlog?

✈️ Air India’s complexity tax: Is the "New Air India" big enough to ignore the economic nightmare of a highly fragmented mixed fleet?

✈️ Ancillary crutch: Thomas breaks down whether the global industry would even be profitable today if core ticket prices weren't masked by convenience fees & baggage charges

✈️ Green-time bubble: Why airlines are scrambling for vintage engines just to stay in the air

✈️ Future of flight: From Boom’s "Symphony" engine to the massive infra mountain JetZero (BWB) must climb, mirroring the A380’s difficult entry, we separate the paper planes from the future of flight

The Indian AvGeek streams on all podcast apps.

ch-aviation - @chaviation

Air Insight Group - @airinsight

Vishal Mehra - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Episode 65

In our landmark 65th episode, we bring together two of the world’s most formidable aviation analysts for a rare joint appearance. Thomas Jaeger (Founder & CEO, ch-aviation) and Addison Schonland (Founder & Partner, AirInsight Group) join the show to dissect the state of the industry.

We dive deep into the strategic earthquake of Willie Walsh joining IndiGo: Is he there to protect the low-cost core or to build an IAG-style multi-tier empire? We explore the "Death of the Pure LCC" as IndiGo and Air India Express embrace dual cabins and widebodies, and ask the hard questions about India's growing duopoly, is a 90% market concentration a systemic risk to the national economy?

From the A321XLR’s potential to bleed major hubs to the brutal market share war between Boeing’s thoroughness and Airbus’s volume, this is a great listen for the economics and mechanics of flight in 2026.

This episode is part 1. Episode 66, where the conversation turns to the global fleet crisis, engine backlogs, supersonic aviation, hydrogen, and blended-wing bodies, drops in three days.

The Indian AvGeek streams on all podcast apps.

ch-aviation - @chaviation

Air Insight Group - @airinsight

Vishal Mehra - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Episode 64

100 years of Lufthansa. One guest who's been there for 34 of them.

In Episode 64 of The Indian AvGeek, we sit down with Felipe Bonifatti, VP Asia Pacific, Middle East & Joint Ventures East at the Lufthansa Group – the man responsible for the Group's entire passenger airline business across this part of the world, covering brands like Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Discover, and now ITA Airways.

In a wide-ranging conversation, we dig into what Lufthansa's centenary means beyond the anniversary liveries and whether the "We Are The Journey" brand campaign is actually a strategic tool or just a beautiful poster. We talk about the APAC market, India's fast-heating, non-stop landscape, and whether Lufthansa's future in India is about flying point-to-point or feeding its Frankfurt and Munich hubs.

We ask about ITA Airways and a big, unspoken question: could Rome become Lufthansa's southern gateway to Asia? We talk about the expanding joint venture with Singapore Airlines, metal neutrality, and whether Star Alliance is still the most important card in the group's APAC hand — or whether bilateral partnerships have quietly taken over.

Felipe also gives us a candid look at the 777-9 delay, the complexity behind Allegris' five business class variants, and something you rarely hear from airline executives: the hardest truths about running a European network carrier in a world that doesn't give everyone the same rulebook.

The Indian AvGeek streams on all podcast apps.

Vishal Mehra - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Episode 63

On March 10th, 2026, the Indian aviation industry was rocked by the abrupt resignation of Pieter Elbers from IndiGo. As the architect of IndiGo’s global expansion—introducing wide-bodies, business class, and a massive international footprint—his departure leaves more questions than answers.

Is this a strategic pivot back to the airline’s ruthless LCC roots? Does Rahul Bhatia’s "Main Hoon Naa" sign-off signal a cultural restoration or a leadership vacuum?

In this special one-off episode of The Indian AvGeek, we are joined by Kushan Mitra (Publisher, The Pioneer) and Ajay Awtaney (Founder, LiveFromALounge) to dissect the fallout.

We discussed:

• The surgical nature of the resignation and what it says about IndiGo's board dynamics.
• Whether the A350 wide-body strategy and IndiGo Stretch are now at risk.
• The significance of the “December scars” mentioned in the internal memo.
• Where Pieter Elbers might land next—and if Air India is already watching.
• Who might be the next top executive at 6E
• What the OEMs, like Airbus must be feeling right now

The Indian AvGeek streams on all podcast apps.

Kushan Mitra - @KushanMitra

Ajay Awtaney - @LiveFromALounge

Vishal Mehra - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠