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The Indian AvGeek: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Vishal Mehra
Every fortnight, Vishal Mehra goes deep with airline CEOs and COOs, airport route-development chiefs, OEM leaders, loyalty heads and the analysts who keep them honest, from DEL and BOM to AMS, FRA, DFW and beyond. Networks, fleets, slots, alliances, PaxEx and the economics behind every decision. The name is Indian. The conversation is global. The subject is always the business of aviation. The Indian AvGeek is India's top aviation podcast.
Latest Episodes
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- 2 weeks ago1h 7m
AIX 2026 & The PaxEx Paradox feat. Seth Miller (Founder, PaxEx.Aero)
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 Miller on BlueSky Vishal Mehra on X
- May 3, 20261h 1m
Slot Archaeology & Airline Networking feat. Wilco Sweijen (Airline Partnerships Dir, AMS Schiphol)
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 on X
- Apr 19, 20261h 3m
The Future of Airline Loyalty feat. Mark Potter (Managing Director, Etihad Guest)
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 on X
- Apr 8, 202645 min
State of the Aviation Industry (part 2) feat. Thomas Jaeger & Addison Schonland
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-avaition on X AirInsight on X Vishal Mehra on X
- Apr 5, 202659 min
State of the Aviation Industry (part 1) feat. Thomas Jaeger & Addison Schonland
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-avaition on X AirInsight on X Vishal Mehra on X
- Mar 22, 202631 min
Hub & Seek: How Lufthansa is Playing the Long Game feat. Felipe Bonifatti (VP Asia Pacific, ME & JV East, Lufthansa Group)
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 on X
- Mar 12, 202636 min
On Pieter Elbers and IndiGo feat. Kushan Mitra (The Pioneer) & Ajay Awtaney (Live From A Lounge)
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 on X Ajay Awtaney on X Vishal Mehra on X
- Mar 8, 20261h 6m
The Middle Seat’s Masterclass feat. Scott McCartney (Airlines Confidential Podcast)
Episode 62 This week on The Indian AvGeek, we hit a bucket-list milestone. We are joined by Scott McCartney, the legendary creator of the Wall Street Journal’s "Middle Seat" column. For 29 years, Scott was the ultimate arbiter of the passenger experience, and today, we turn the tables to ask him the hard questions. He is also the co-host of the Airlines Confidential podcast. We go behind the scenes of his most iconic stories—including the investigation that led to a CEO’s firing and the "broken windows theory" behind Southwest’s infamous coffee (and how Herb Kelleher’s love for whisky played a role). Scott opens up about his "critic vs. CEO" dynamic with Ben Baldanza, the metrics airlines' game to look good on paper, and the visceral experience of flying the Boeing 737 MAX simulator. In the second half, we dive deep into the Indian market. Scott compares the radical transformations of Air India and Southwest, talks about "airport ghost towns", and offers a provocative take on whether the A321XLR is a "loyalty trap" for passengers. This is the episode for anyone who's ever wondered what aviation looks like when someone who's seen everything finally says exactly what he thinks. The Indian AvGeek streams on all podcast apps. Scott McCartney on X Vishal on X
About The Indian AvGeek
Every fortnight, Vishal Mehra goes deep with airline CEOs and COOs, airport route-development chiefs, OEM leaders, loyalty heads and the analysts who keep them honest, from DEL and BOM to AMS, FRA, DFW and beyond. Networks, fleets, slots, alliances, PaxEx and the economics behind every decision. The name is Indian. The conversation is global. The subject is always the business of aviation. The Indian AvGeek is India's top aviation podcast.
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