By Staff Correspondent
The 2024 International Conference on the Future of Aviation and Aerospace, jointly held by IIM Bangalore and Toulouse Business School in France, drew more than 300 top executives from the aviation and aerospace industries. Keynote speeches and six intensive expert panels covered topics such as maintenance, repair, and operations (MROs), drones, and talent management in the aviation industry.
“In the past half-century, IIM Bangalore has grown into one of the world’s preeminent institutes for business management,” said Director Prof. Rishikesha T. Krishnan in his welcoming remarks. Most recently, IIMB was ranked #32 in the world by QS World University Rankings. Having a number of students and teachers who are very interested in the aviation industry makes it an easy decision for us to hold this conference. The aerospace and aviation industries have been quite complimentary of our General Management Programme. Professor RT Krishnan expressed his pride at IIM Bangalore’s role in India’s continued development as a global aviation hub and bestowed his best wishes on all conference attendees, noting that the country is rapidly becoming a centre for traffic, MRO (Maintenance, Repair, Operations), engineering, aircraft acquisition, and more.
Professor G. Shainesh, who was presiding over the conference, extended a warm greeting to the distinguished guests, including Consul General Thierry Berthelot of France, Professor Christopher Benaroya of Toulouse Business School in France, the senior administration of IIMB, and all of the participants. “The goal of the conference is to gain insight into the current state and future trajectory of the industry in terms of change and advancement,” he stated.
The General Management Programme for Aerospace and Aviation Executives, which is run in collaboration with Toulouse Business School (TBS) in France and has close to 350 alumni to date, was introduced by Prof. S Raghunath, the Conference Chair. Raghunath commended TBS for being a supporting partner. Sustainability and e-zero are becoming more important as this sector develops. In the realm of complex parts, additive manufacturing is producing remarkable results. At the meeting today, we intend to examine the possibilities and threats facing this industry.
“There is a tremendous growth in the sector, expectations from customers have grown exponentially and there is tremendous pressure from the point of sustainability,” started Prof. Christophe Benaroya of Toulouse Business School in France, who was speaking at the opening comments. In order to address problems like pollution, our industry must cease being embarrassed by its core competency: connecting people. These are exciting times to be a researcher or business owner, yet we are still living through unstable times.
In her opening remarks, Prof. Padmini Srinivasan, Chairperson of the Executive Education Programmes at IIMB, extended a warm welcome to the conference’s presenters and attendees and discussed the Executive Education programs available at IIMB.
“Adds value to skilling in the aviation sector in India,” said Sunil Bhaskaran, former MD and CEO of AirAsia and current director of the Air India Aviation Academy, in his inauguration address, which he used to congratulate IIMB and TBS on their partnership.
The Macroeconomic View
As part of the first panel discussing “The Impact of Macroeconomic Environment on Aviation and Aerospace,” distinguished economist Professor Chetan Subramanian of IIMB, Dr. Srinivasan Dwarakanath of Airbus India Operations, and Kallappa Pattada of Boeing India Engineering were also invited to participate.
Professor Chetan Subramanian discussed the aviation industry’s challenges in his talk on the Macroeconomic View, which included topics such as COVID-19, inflation due to shortages in supply, conflicts, and elections. Referring to the COVID era, Professor Chetan Subramanian stated that, with the exception of China, nearly every economy witnessed either a negative growth rate or a recession. It wasn’t until 1979 that the Indian economy saw a decline. Because India’s economy is still relatively young, contractions force the country to struggle with high unemployment rates, hence this is important.
Dr. Srinivasan Dwarkanath spoke on how the aviation and aerospace industry is being affected by unexpected occurrences like COVID, as well as geopolitical tensions, changes in the currency rate, and the regulatory landscape. Less than one percent of the world’s aerospace supply chain is accounted for by India. In ten years, we should have reached 10%. He emphasized the need to build an aerospace plan, enhance DGCA (the Directorate General of Civil Aviation), prioritize product design, information technology, and production, and boost value addition.
After identifying every player in the industry, Kallappa Pattada zeroed in on the government’s part and contrasted the aerospace industries of Japan and India. He explained that India is currently in a different growth phase than Japan since the country is “heavily focused on sustainability” and is instead concentrating on creating airports, purchasing aircraft, and constructing maintenance, repair, and overhaul facilities.
The Global and Local Aviation Market’s Future
Prof. S Raghunath led a panel discussion on the “Future of Global and Local Aviation Market” that included Sunil Bhaskaran, Director of Air India Aviation Academy, and Dr. Srinivasan Dwarkanath, Former CEO & MD, Airbus India Operations. Over the next five years, Asia Pacific will get around 46% of all new aircraft deliveries. The Middle East and the growing nations of Asia (China and India) will see the fastest increase. However, India 20 years from now would still be smaller than China, according to Dr. Dwarkanath.
In his speech, Sunil Bhaskaran enumerated the following themes: customer-centricity, data and analytics, sustainability, distribution capabilities, fleet and network, alliances and partnerships, and talent. These trends will determine the airline industry’s future shape.
The Future of the Drone Industry
The man who oversaw India’s drone policy as Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation congratulated IIMB for being the only Indian management school to host a global conference where “aviators get to meet at least once a year.” Amber Dubey, a Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Company and a former official in that role, also expressed her admiration. He briefly reviewed the policies that have shaped the drone industry in the country and how it has developed over the years. The Indian aviation industry deserves a standing ovation for its response to the epidemic, which included transporting testing tools, masks, relief, supplies, and vaccinations. He said that the pandemic had a positive impact on the country’s drone industry since it allowed for the simultaneous dispatch of drones to remote communities in mofussil areas during the locust assaults, which averted widespread devastation.
Particularly for agricultural purposes, the drone industry has expanded at an exponential rate. Har haath mein phone; har khet mein drone was our goal. Free training and incentives are provided to women farmers in rural areas so that they may use this technology. The capacity to deliver medications to faraway places is the greatest advantage of drones. He went on to say, “But security and tracking remain the biggest issue,” and he called on young people to step up and help shape policies pertaining to security. The growth and evolution of the drone sector can only be achieved via cooperation between the business sector, the government, start-ups, and tech-loving youth, he said.
‘Achieve Fly Net Zero Status by the year 2050’
The panel included Chris Krishnaswamy, a Systems Engineering Principal at Digital 145, Sasikumar Muthusamy, a Senior Director of Global Engineering at Collins Aerospace, and Uma Maheshwar, the Chief Consulting Engineer at GE Aerospace Engineering India. They engaged in a discussion about the obstacles that disruptive technologies need to overcome in order to achieve net zero goals. There are plenty of opportunities, but they are far from simple. There are also disconnects driven by technology and resources. Senior technicians are making crucial decisions without fully understanding the consequences of their choices. Chris believes that the skills required by this industry need a thorough reassessment. They suggest that the issue of technology disconnect can be resolved through empowerment and enablement. Sasikumar emphasized the importance of energy sources, infrastructure, and investment in his presentation, while Uma Maheshwar discussed the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and the potential of breakthrough technologies to address key sustainability challenges and their associated costs.
The Age of the Transformed Employee
The panel consisted of Suraj Chettri, VP & Head of HR at Airbus, Ruchi Dhawan Sharma, VP and Head HR at Indigo, and Prof. Christophe Benaroya, Head of the MSc Programme in Aerospace Management at TBS. Managing talent is the key factor that sets organizations apart from one another. Suraj emphasized the need for strong leadership, skill development, and a shift in mindset when dealing with employees who have evolved post-COVID. Finding skilled talent in this industry can be quite challenging due to the limited availability of trained professionals, such as pilots and engineers. Retention poses a significant challenge as frequent turnover and attrition have the potential to disrupt flight schedules. “Understanding the pulse of employees is crucial,” Ruchi emphasized.
Prof. Benaroya discussed the evolution of HR terminology, highlighting the shift from referring to individuals as workers to employees, collaborators, and new talent. Collaboration between large organizations, as seen in Germany, could be a solution to the talent shortage faced by all sectors. This would allow for the sharing of resources and costs. The suggestion is to shift hiring practices from being solely experience-based to also considering potential, making training a crucial factor.
Airborne Challenges
Vishak Raman, the Vice President of Sales for India and SAARC, SEA & ANZ at Fortinet, emphasized the importance of embracing digital solutions in the air transport industry. He highlighted the crucial role that next-generation firewalls play in ensuring the security of the aviation sector. “Digital innovation is leading to heightened risk as cyber threats exploit the disruptions,” he stated, highlighting potential solutions such as adopting a platform-based approach, implementing Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), and leveraging AI in cybersecurity. “It’s important to have increased visibility and control over both your IT and OT setups, as networks are becoming more streamlined,” he added.
