Kanika Tekriwal is a trailblazer in aviation, recognized globally for her entrepreneurial spirit and innovation. Overcoming personal and societal challenges, she has reshaped perceptions of luxury and efficiency in the industry. Honored by the World Economic Forum, Forbes Asia, and BBC, Kanika exemplifies determination, leadership, and a relentless drive to transform possibilities into realities.
In an engaging interview with Women Entrepreneurs Review Magazine, Kanika shares her perspective on the impact of emerging technologies such as AI, IoT, and blockchain in reshaping the customer experience within private aviation. She believes that it is vital for any industry to make full use of advancements in technologies. Kanika brings forth firsthand experience from leading tech revolution at JetSetGo. The conversation also covers strategies for balancing innovation, personalization, and operational efficiency in the luxury aviation sector.
To know more, pursue the conversation between WER and Kanika.
How are emerging technologies like AI, IoT etc reshaping customer experience in private aviation? How are you preparing your company to integrate these into your future operations?
Making full use of advancements in technologies is vital for any industry especially in private aviation. Hence at JetSetGo, our first and foremost priority is adopting sophistication in every sphere. The customers must derive its benefits, and feel that they are enjoying world class luxury. The emerging technologies like AI, IoT and blockchain will support us in redefining private aviation to a great extent.
AI will definitely help us in analysing customers’ travel patterns, their personal preferences, and in enumerating their feedback. The goal is to see that every journey is uniquely designed.
IoT will improvise real-time communication and coordination between aircraft systems and ground operationswhich ultimately results in foolproof safety checks, fuel optimization, and on-time performance, which are the yardsticks essential for luxury aviation experience.
Blockchain, on the other hand, will enable us to ensure the booking process remains transparent and secured. This will enhance client trust.
JetSetGo has always been a technology driven company. We have been early adopters when it comes to working towards the integrating of technologies in our day-to-day operations. Platforms such as AI-driven concierge systems, IoT-enabled fleet monitoring, and blockchain-backed booking platforms are part of long-term digital transformation goals.
These advancements willremove redundancies and enable us to streamline operations while focusing on critical elements such as offering seamless, secure, andpersonalized travel experiences that will change the very definition of luxury. We are committed to achieve this goal. Our customers must experience the future of private aviation TODAY. For this, we will deploy all our resources and make full use of advancements in technologies.
In your opinion what is the next frontier in personalized aviation experiences? How do you blend hyper-personalization with operational efficiency while maintaining exclusivity?
The world today is in a constant state of flux. Customer demands and needs are changing at a rate nobody has ever seen before. We are constantly exploring ways to create travel experiences as unique as the individuals who fly with us. We have already moved beyond the standard convention of luxury by offering truly bespoke services, such as curated inflight menus tailored to dietary preferences, seamless multi-modal travel coordination, and even personalized cabin interiors for frequent flyers.
At JetSetGo, we look at hyper-personalization as an opportunity which will strengthen our connection with customers further. To help us drive it, we are looking at AI and advanced data analytics to gaugeand understand our client needs and preferences in great detail. Such technologies will also automate routine tasks which will help free up resources for personalised services. We can maintain exclusivity by focusing on quality over quantity, even by limiting the number of flights to ensure each journey is meticulously planned and fulfilled.
By combining advanced technology with personalised service, the journey becomes luxurious, intimate and over all a memorable experience.
With the advent of air taxis and urban air mobility solutions, what key factors do you consider when balancing the disruptive potential of new technologies with the operational realities of safety, infrastructure, and regulatory hurdles?
In reality these are not opposing forces that must be balanced. The disruptive potential of the new technologies is in their ability to open new markets and deliver new services, such as in the urban air mobility mode, and that depends on the highest standards of safety, available infrastructure and an effective regulatory regime that ensures operations and customers are safe. In other words, the potential cannot be realised unless industry, ecosystem partners and regulators work together to put the infrastructure, regulations and procedures in place before commercial operations can begin.
An enormous collaborative effort is therefore needed prior to the launch of urban air mobility to develop, test and certify the vertiport networks in a city, along with new procedures and systems for managing the airspace environment, along with an effective regulatory regime which certifies policies and procedures covering everything from flight operations, vertiport design and operations, air space integration, aircraft design, pilot training and maintenance programmes. Ultimately this is more rapid evolution than it is revolution, but it is fair to say that rapid advances in aviation technologies, hardware and software, are creating the sense of a leap forward in aviation development and that feels disruptive.
While air taxis and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are promising, how do you foresee scaling these innovations on a global level?
Ensuring eVTOL air taxi services and business models are scalable is a critical task on the way to commercial viability. This is true for any city in the world looking at introducing urban air mobility as a sustainable mobility strategy for the future. Operations at scale will drive accessibility, higher utilisation rates and ultimately lower prices. Achieving such scale will require multiple inputs, not least the available vertiport infrastructure, urban air space management and a supporting regulatory regime that ensures safe operations.
In addition, future operators also need to identify real-world use cases with sufficient demand that such eVTOL services will satisfy and the customer groups that will be the early adopters of these services. Carefully analysing demand patterns and forecasting fleet sizes and types are also critical in ensuring viable business models are developed and launched. The aircraft OEMs will need to understand predicted fleets sizes and operating models in order to manufacture and deliver aircraft to the right places at the right time.
Ultimately proof of demand at scale with drive scalable business models, and give investors the confidence to invest the sums required to launch and sustain the first UAM services in leading urban centres here in India and worldwide.
How do you balance long-term visionary strategies with day-to-day operational challenges, while adapting to the evolving luxury expectations of the next generation of air travellers?
Currently, we are focussing on a two-fold strategythatshould balance long-term vision with immediate operational demands. We need to embrace innovation while maintaining operational excellence.
At JetSetGo, we work with a clear roadmap for integrating advanced air mobility solutions like air taxis. We would embrace future technologies without compromising on today’s service standards.
To achieve this, our team is fully geared up. Our dedicated team manage the operations very effectively, giving me enough time to focus on strategic initiatives such as infrastructure development, regulatory engagement, and partnerships for air taxis and eVTOL technologies. At the same time, I work closely with the respective teams to ensure that we provide world class service to exceed the expectations of luxury travellers.
The demand of next generation of air travellers would becustomised service – easy, efficient and effective. By combining cutting-edge technology with customised services, we ensure that every journey is well aligned with the principles of exclusivity and comfort that define JetSetGo. By balancing this, we will be ahead of industry trends, and help us consistently deliver a world-class experience. We know, for customer expectations even sky is not the limit!
