deccan air cargo

[hoover1]

What is the scoop on deccan cargo. i know that they have a310 and atrs but how long have they been around and is anyoone on here working for them that can give inside info. what the schedule is like and bases. and future plans with the company. thanks

[Left Wing]

[email protected]
Capt Ramchand
Chief Pilot

[Sky Dancer]

From what I hear "Capt" Baldy Gopinath is having trouble raising capital for his new venture.He was hoping to pull off another con job like he did with Deccan.Create a lot of hype and get a few fools to put in the money.This time around a lot of VCs have told him to show them the money first.So he and his cohorts are busy selling their stock in KF to get some cash.Going by what I hear of his business plan , it's not going to last...unless that is what he intends to do..sell it off and make some more money...but you'll see him and his monkey grin to TV pretty soon..selling the Great Indian Cargo Dream....

[hoover1]

from what i have been able to read they have an A310 flying already. not real sure about the atr. is anybody currently flying for them?

[Sky Dancer]

the only A 310F that "Baldy" has flying is the screen saver on his PC...no they're not flying yet and wont be for sometime to come...Air India Cargo have 2 A 310 Fs flying at the moment FYI:ok:

[air_cowboy]

310 jobs for grabs... offered on a job search site for 6 month contract??? dont know details of company offering... maybe or maybe not "baldy"

[SayItIsntSo]

Sky Prancer,

What happened? Didn't you make the cut at Air Deccan?

Deccan Cargo is still about 6 months from starting operations, they are now about 2 years into the planning stage.

Got all the pilots they need...for now. Will probably need some more when they expand...and expand they will.

Capt Gopi has an army of loyal followers, perhaps something that you will never understand.

Ciao

[hoover1]

have they gotten thier atrs yet? if not, when would they? they are recruting for atr cpts as i am in the process. are the pilots that they have now getting paid to wait? any other info would be great. thanks sayisntso

[MES Drvr]

I am looking for a pilot named Deepak Salvi. Does any one have his contact #"s.

[Sky Dancer]

Pah...now that's a good joke , about me not making the cut for Deccan Cargo.I didn't even apply and would never want to join an operation run by "Baldy".Just ask the legion of Air Deccan crew that are out of it....Baldy has a lot of loyal guys becoz he got many of them jobs when they simply couldn't make the cut anywhere else so that's why they're loyal to him and even if they leave him now they won't make the cut ...mark my words his Deccan Cargo will never survive.....:ok:

[MES Drvr]

Just finished reading a rather lengthy interview of Capt. Gopinath as to why Deccan Air was sold to Kingfisher. He put's the blame or atleast the vast majority of it on the door steps of Indigo Air. But the interesting point was that he did not mention anything about his up and coming cargo airline. I was also surprised that they (Deccan Cargo) opted to bring on A-310 which they are converting at an enormous cost. There are so many freighters out here in the US that probably will be able to get this venture up and running a lot faster. I would think with India being a old Boeing customer that B-737/ 727 would be a better choice especially when it comes to cheaper ground handling, crew availability, mechanics etc. Just my 2 cents.

[Left Wing]

A-310 which they are converting..surprising !...they should be able to find ready A310-F..with the ATR there may be a need to convert..for sure Gopi has a grt relationship with ATR..

[slowto280]

Where might these A-310F's for sale be located? Just curious......:suspect:

[SayItIsntSo]

Dry Prancer
Well I suppose it is a ‘rumour network’ and where better to get a ‘rumour’ than from a guy you met in a bar. If you had witnessed it with your own eyes then I suppose it wouldn’t be a ‘rumour’.
If you were to do some more balanced research rather than just listen to the guys that ‘are out of it’, probably because being ‘in it’ was a little bit too much like hard work, you would appreciate that guys ‘that couldn’t make the cut elsewhere’ HAD already made the cut elsewhere (Ryanair, etc.) which was why many were recruited in the first place.
The induction of 43 aircraft in 43 months and achieving over one billion US dollars in sales in the 3rd year, which Air Deccan did, is not the work of people who can’t make their way in the world.
Ciao

[Sky Dancer]

Dear SayIt IsntSo ( I'm losing the hair on my head , my shlong aint long enough..... ),

Maybe you should talk about the number of safety violations Deccan made during their brief tenure in the Indian skies.About Gopi blaming Indigo , well that's him at his best , blame everyone under the sun for what's going wrong..the simple fact is no one really knew what was going on there, no even Gopi...and you don't have to go very far to find out more about that...I'm sure lot of the ex Deccan guys would vouch for that..Oh and the B 727s and older 737s don't meet the DGCA requirements on age of imported aircraft....:ok:oh and yeah about why Deccan really sold out...just about everyone in India knows why by now..except Gopi of course...let me guess he must be blaming the bankers now for not giving him enough money in time...:ok::ok:

[viktor inox]

Why does Deccan founder Gopinath insist on his former rank of Capt. being used? To my knowledge, he was a commissioned officer in the army - not the air force. Is he trying to con people into believing he can fly?

[bad_attitude]

they don't have any planes yet, first A310 delivery sometime in feb '09 ...

[Sky Dancer]

he was never a pilot.He was a just a Captain in the army on a short service commission..he just sold India his dream and the Indians bought it...like I'd mentioned earlier he'll be :ok:on the news pretty soon selling the Great Indian Cargo Dream and this time I hope the investors are a bit smarter...

[Pardes]

haha... Capt. Gopinath / Dr. Maliya... any Indian would know that in India a title means nothing... I have seen flight instructors at dormant flying clubs in India call themselves Captains when the biggest plane they have flown was a C-152...

As for Deccan Cargo... they were e-mailing me around the clock to submit my paperwork... now that I have... NOTHING! I don't think they know what there doing to be honest... From what I've heard... they are looking for guys for a 3 month contract (extendable)... I guess they need expats until the 250 hour hero's learn how to tune a VOR ;)

[alexmcfire]

MES Drvr, doesn´t Biman offer maintenance service for the A310 and DC-10 at a very competitive price, one reason to choose A310?

[Left Wing]

Air India has hanger in BOM and A310 MRO capability....no need to ferry the a/c to Dhaka...
biggest plane they have flown was a C-152........:ugh::ugh: sad but true....even their personal email add is CAPT. XYZ.....hahahaaaaaaaa...

[SayItIsntSo]

Sky dancer,
"he just sold India his dream and the Indians bought it...like I'd mentioned earlier he'll be on the news pretty soon selling the Great Indian Cargo Dream". At last something I can agree with.

The reason the Indian 'common man' bought it was because it was their dream too.

'Regarding the Great Indian Cargo Dream' I am afraid you are missing the point. The world's largest airline doesn't carry passengers and it is not even a Cargo Airline. Like FedEx (Aviation Dept), Deccan Cargo will be the operator for Deccan Express Logistics. It is the logistics company that is the 'dream' that India will buy into. Sure Deccan Cargo will also carry Cargo but that will not be the core business and connecting the small factories in the rural areas of India with the major cities by surface and air (as is appropriate) that is the dream.

An awful lot of people (and business institutions) become millionaires as a result of Air Deccan, sadly you don't appear to have been one of them.


Pardes,

You say 'any Indian would know that in India a title means nothing'. I guess you are not an Indian, or even a NRI, otherwise you would know that a title is 'everything' in India. In many companies titles are given in lieu of additional salary. Even the lead security guard on a building site would like to be known as an 'Assistant MANAGER'.

If you had ever tried to navigate from airside to landside (or v.v.) at an Indian Airport you would understand the value of the honorific title of 'Captain', a white shirt and four-gold bars, whether you are flying a B737 or a C150.

Ciao.

[Sky Dancer]

If you look at how all the major global logistics companies grew , they first established their networks and reputation.It was only later that their aircraft came in to help sustain their network.Deccan Cargo as in the case of Air Deccan is doing things the other way around.Air Deccan expanded too fast.They could not keep up with the expansion.That coupled with some extremely poor management led to its downfall.It's reputation as an airline was garbage and in the end the banks realised that the money they were sinking into it would never come back.It's the mistake that Kingfisher is doing growing too fast with some extremely poor management.The result will be there for all to see in the not too distant future.You can grow fast and you can dream big but you have to have a solid business plan and a strong management team to go with it.If you have it then the sky is the limit.

You say that certain people became millionaires.Name me a few .The only people I know who became millionaires were the senior management of Air Deccan along with the promoters.The fact is you guys would have made more money if you had managed to get the premium you were asking when you were going public.In the end it all boils down to one thing ....money.And one look at your account books and your lead bankers wanted to run away.But in the end you made your money.

Talk about the various things you've done ..blatant violation of safety procedures and regulations..and still getting away with it.I wonder how ??Keeping pax waiting for hours on end and not doing anything about it.Your own employees getting abused by pax and not doing anything about it...

I would be interested to see when Deccan Cargo will be up and running and how long it will be up...And I'd like to see how much money Baldy and his crew make on this one :ok:

[slimynyk]

sky w**ker, your arrogance is appalling. You certainly have a right to an opinion, but he has a NAME for crying out loud!
air deccan was India' largest LCC. It takes a strong management to build something like that. Deccan became a household name within months of its launch. Capt Gopi opened up the aviation market and created millions of jobs along with the other airlines that opened up after deccan.
If its a strong management you ask for, have a look at the deccan cargo management on the website.
you want millionaires?! look up the passenger manifests of all those deccan flights. Each and every middle class/lower middle class Indian who flew with deccan and tasted flight for the first time considered himself richer by the experience. Bank balances alone don't make you a millionaire, life experiences contribute as well. Companies saved lakhs of rupees just by utilizing deccans services.
You obviously know that market share cannot be garnered without pax. I agree there were problems in the beginning but they were ironed out and on-time performance improved tremendously.
You're probably too old for me to ask you to change your attitude, but this new year when you're pissed drunk and you have nothing to ramble on, think about encouraging people looking to make new beginnings, if you have a problem with anybody/anything... be a man stand up straight and put forth your point of view on a platform where you get noticed. I'm sure you can find something better than an anonymous forum. Whether deccan cargo is a success or not is for India to decide, certainly not for the knob hiding behind skydancer!

[Sky Dancer]

Well Slim , if you call me arrogant then I suggest you look yourself in the mirror.You've managed to contradict everything you seem to stand up for in that "brave" tirade against me.If you're man enough then maybe you should tell us all who you are because in this forum no one really is man enough by your standard.

Now let's not get carried away with what Baldy Gopinath did.Sure he changed the civil aviation scenario in India and I would be one of the first to accept that fact.But did he do it well ?I don't think so.He just rode on the Great Indian Growth story and sold the Great Indian Aviation Growth story along with it.Emotions apart , any seasoned aviation professional listening to him in an interview would know that he didn't really know what he was talking about.Because if he did Deccan would still be around.I just happened to read his "Dream" of Deccan Cargo yesterday , it really surprises me that there are so called smart business people who buy it.Anyway best of luck to him and his highly "talented team."

Oh and one more thing about manhood.If you're man enough just deny the accussations that I've been throwing at Baldy and his talented team at Deccan about violations in almost all departments and still getting away with it.That would be very manly of you to deny it convincingly in this forum.If not I guess we'll have to ask Mummy your name to Slim D..k or something on those lines.And I'm not that old in fact pretty young by world standards.And may be on TV pretty soon as well..but I'm not man enough to tell you all who I really am.:E:ok:

[SayItIsntSo]

Sky Dancer,

As a seasoned aviation professional I can tell you that Captain Gopinath knows as much as anyone about running an airline in India, and probably more than you and definitely more than me (when was the last time you bought 60 Airbus in one go or started an airline). Perhaps you would like to see imposed different standards than those that apply in India.

Now if you want to be critical about the ability of DGCA to regulate the aviation industry then I would probably be on your side, but it is not in the nature of an entrepreneur to abide by questionable and arbitrary rules. We know from recent court cases that even British Airways and other ‘legacy’ airlines don’t play by all the rules and have committed violations that have cost them an awful lot of money.

In India there is the added business challenge that not all permits are processed as fast as they should be (not enough grease on the wheel perhaps), this kind of regulation is not conducive to compliance with all rules and regulations some of which have very limited if any effect on safety. It becomes part of the Accountable Manager’s task to decide which rule he is prepared to fight in Court rather than give in to the chinless, faceless wonders doing their best to kill the aviation industry

If you think that this is an issue that is only to be seen in India, think again. I know from personal experience that this is an issue throughout the Third World and I suspect it is also a problem in the old and new world too. After all, if it wasn’t, organisations like the UK CAA wouldn’t need an Enforcement Branch.


Ciao

[Sky Dancer]

Well looks like I'm up against the senior management of erstwhile Air Deccan and now Deccan Cargo.So there really isn't much point in carrying this argument any further.I have my very strong views on you guys and maybe time will tell if I'm right.Either way good luck to you on your new venture....but just a piece of friendly advice...don't leave too many people High N Dry this time around..:ok:

[HAWK21M]

Last heard Deccan cargo was to commence ops with NAG as base from 1st qtr 2009,initially with 6 A310F & 6ATRs.

Out here Import of aircraft beyond 15yrs is prohibited.

regds
MEL

[bad_attitude]

its definitely not launching in the 1st qtr of '09 ... launch date post poned to god knows when.

mean while, here's something to munch on:

Capt Gopinath to foray into express logistics biz (http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/economy/capt-gopinath-to-foray-into-express-logistics-biz/370190)

[hoover1]

interestin idea. i know they have one 310F on the books. does anyone know if the ATRs are already converted to cargo or if they still need to .that takes a while. seems they could still do some flying without the buildings being built. does anyone currently live in nagpur and can shed light on it.

[HAWK21M]

Plans are with six aircraft [3xATR72,3xA310F] & double the fleet over time.
regds
MEL

[Left Wing]

delayed for a while...the launch has issues so does funding...

[hoover1]

how long would you guess is a while. maybe in march, april, may? have they even started hiring and training the pilots? i hear that things take a while to get done such as security clearence and visas.

[bad_attitude]

what kind of issues Left Wing? you got any more news for us?

[Sky Dancer]

I say old chaps,I wonder what's happening at the good offices of Deccan Cargo ?:eek::sad:....nothing much by the look of things:ok:

[shoguns]

Looks like a lot of A310 guys are looking at Deccan Cargo with interest.

For those interested, I hear Qatar Airways is hiring 310/300 rated drivers, so you guys might want to check that out. 2-3 years down the line you have a chance to move on to the A330/B777 :ok:

[hoover1]

does anyone actually know someone who works for deccan air cargo? have they started hiring yet?

[bad_attitude]

anyone got a clue whether these chaps will be looking for f/o's without an A310/42 rating? :confused::confused::confused:

[Sky Dancer]

I would say ,let them start first....

[Boeing7xx]

Going by what we saw with Air Deccan, I'd say he's a shrewd operator. The only person laughing all the way to the bank right now is HIM. Wouldn't be surprised if he started something with ridiculously high frequencies and completely flood the market (and loose investor money) and then sell out for a price.

More of an investment banker than a long term airline I guess.

[asvsu]

Finally, deccan cargo redy to launch its ops by mid april'09..heard FO under training and started inducting expat capts

[bad_attitude]

Deccan Express Logistics has taken its first step towards the creation of a nationwide infrastructure for its distribution and delivery service by winning approval for the structural design of its aircraft hangar in the key strategic city of Nagpur.

Once operational, the express cargo hub will form the basis of Deccan’s air and ground distribution network and will be spread over a vast 100-acre campus at Nagpur’s B R Ambedkar Airport. The hub will provide connectivity to more than 85% of India’s GDP and will be ready later this year when Deccan goes live with its operations.

“This would be just the beginning of the various investments Deccan Express Logistics plans to make in building up its infrastructure,” announced Captain G R Gopinath, chairman and managing director of Deccan Express Logistics.


“Our world-class Express Cargo Hub will handle majority of the cargo moving on the Deccan Express Logistics network, thereby controlling the distribution of shipments across the country. This hub will also be an international hub connecting the major economies of Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Europe via India,” Gopinath added.

In addition, Deccan has also signed an MOU with GMR Group to implement express cargo facilities at the airports in Delhi and Hyderabad. As the strategic gateways to northern and southern India, infrastructure at these locations will allow Deccan to establish a multimodal storage, transportation and delivery network.

From: Deccan off to a flier in Nagpur | Transportation | Supply Chain News | ArabianSupplyChain.com (http://arabiansupplychain.com/article-1748-deccan_off_to_a_flier_in_nagpur/)

[Sky Dancer]

Another one of Baldy's plants in the local media,wonder who he trying to fool this time around.But you're right he is a smart one , that's what he's trying to do with Deccan Log. as well , he know's he doesn't have a chance in hell but he's trying to sell out and from the rumour mills , it's no less than Mr. M Ambani this time.But I would think that Mr.Ambani is a much smarter man than Dr.Mallya ....the good doctor is still trying to figure out what hit him...but then I guess by the time he does figure it out KF will be long gone...:ok:

[HAWK21M]

Wonder if Gopi can fill those Freighters.The only Successfull operator in the country is BZ [Blue Dart] & they too rely on a coordinated ground network.
regds
MEL

[hoover1]

was the FO under training for the A310 or the ATR? was the FO a national or expat?

[Schumi - Red Baron]

Indian express cargo companies experienced a 5-10% decline in business in the first quarter of the current financial year as inflation and a slowdown in industrial problems have taken their toll. “Transport infrastructure, government policies and a lack of understanding of supply chains are major obstacles to growth in India’s express market,” says Ketan Kulkarni, head of marketing, corporate communications and sustainability for Blue Dart Express


How will baldy overcome these and then sell his dream to the financers.....:hmm:

[asvsu]

I think all are Indian FO's ..for A310

[optimus.Prime]

The FO's are all indian nationals(read 250 hr wonders) training somewhere in Germany , on the 310!!!

[jamestaylor]

Hmmmmmmmm After the first disaster why will anyone believe him.? He is probably so sad he can Not attend every stupid LCC conference in the world to spread his BS............. My god who would give him one red cent?

[Left Wing]

training somewhere in Germany , on the 310!!!...also known as LFT...Lufthansa Flt Training in FRA...:ok:..good to see the 250hr heros will recive the best training..:D

[Sky Dancer]

Did they have to pay for their training ?:cool:

[Schumi - Red Baron]

Who will fund Gopi for this new project ???:confused:
I think people have already seen what happened to Air deccan.... And in this downturn, I don't think there are many to trust him and give him the money.

[optimus.Prime]

actually one of my friends is currently getting his TYPE done ,i'd reconfirm with him if it is being done at LFT!
and sky dancer,YES they had to sponsor the TYPE by themselves!http://static.pprune.org/images/smilies/thumbs.gif

[Sky Dancer]

I sure hope it's money well spent:ok:

[bad_attitude]

NDTV.com Video: The Unstoppable Indians with Captain G R Gopinath (http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/video/video.aspx?id=59404)

[HAWK21M]

DGCA rule exists for Imported aircraft.AI old B732s can be freighter converted as they are already in the country.

As on the A310F plan....Where are the loads.

regds
MEL.

[bad_attitude]

Singapore Cargo, IBM eye stake in Deccan Cargo - Business News - News - MSN India - News (http://news.in.msn.com/business/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1909396)

[hoover1]

i heard that calls for employement went out last week. anyone get a call?

[Sky Dancer]

I would assume that the chaps at Sing Cargo have better business sense,especially in this kind of a business environment..:ok:

[optimus.Prime]

Going back to where the Trainee F/Os are getting their type done - it is indeed LFT!:ok:

[asvsu]

G R Gopinath, the founder of budget carrier Air Deccan, is ready to start operations for his cargo airline in May. His company, Deccan Cargo Express Logistics, will take delivery of three Airbus 310 freighters from the first week of April onwards.
The company plans to offer end-to-end logistics solutions where it has custodial charge of the cargo. Till the back-end warehouse infrastructure is ready at the airline’s national hub in Nagpur, Gopinath’s freighters will fly the Dubai-Mumbai-Delhi-Hong Kong route offering dedicated cargo space to freight forwarders and serve anyone who wants to move international freight to these cities for time-definite delivery.
This ensures that the planes don’t lie idle till the back-end systems are ready, said Gopinath.
Deccan Cargo Express Logistics has signed up with Multimodal International Hub Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN), a complex that is being developed by the Maharashtra government, for a hub in Nagpur.
Gopinath was instrumental in improving air connectivity to smaller towns and plans to replicate the model for his cargo business. “Today, cargo that lands in Mumbai can take a week to get into industrial clusters in the hinterland. With a hub in Nagpur, we will provide connectivity to 60 cities overnight,” he said.
The cargo airline will follow a hub-and-spoke model. Turboprops will feed and collect cargo from small towns, while the Airbus 310 freighters will connect metros and fly cargo to international hubs like Dubai and Hong Kong, among others.
Gopinath’s cargo airline will be pitching itself against established players like Blue Dart, Gati, TNT Express and First Flight in India’s domestic cargo business.
16/03/09 Ranju Sarkar/Business Standard

[Schumi - Red Baron]

Sorry for this but the flight schedule (http://www.deccanexpress.in/flight_schedule.html) of deccan express doesn't mention any international ops. It just says bengluru and chennai... Sorry in advance if I am missing something....

[bad_attitude]

its been like that for months now.

[Schumi - Red Baron]

Deccan Express Logistics, promoted by Deccan Aviation’s promoter G R Gopinath, has tied up with NACIL (Air India) for providing line maintenance and technical handling support to its aircraft fleet and operations.


Deccan Cargo in pact with AI for engg support (http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/deccan-cargo-in-pactai-for-engg-support/353262/)

[hoover1]

the ATRs have been pushed back a couple of months. when that is who knows.

[Schumi - Red Baron]

It's not the first time that something ha been postponed. and i think that it won't be the last....:hmm:

[HAWK21M]

any pic of the A310Fs in Deccan livery?
regds
MEL.

[Sky Dancer]

Well from what I hear the insignia is a bald head wedged between a V :ok:

[Sky Dancer]

Well folks we come close to the beginning of May and there doesn't seem to be any sign of Deccan Cargo starting ops in May contrary to their bold claims in the media...last heard , Bird Brain Gopi :} ( Gopi's portrait )was planning to start Dubai - Mumbai - Delhi - Hong Kong return in May and he was doing this due to the lack of warehousing facilities in India for Deccan Logistics.He expected the infrastructure to be in place by the year end by which time he would begin domestic ops....That's Baldy Gopi at his best...lets lose a couple of million till we get the real thing going...:ok:

[shanx]

also ... Capt Gopinath is contesting for the General elections from Bangalore.
How's he going to manage politics and airline(cargo) business simultaneously ?? (assuming he does manage to win the polls)

[Sky Dancer]

Well honestly I don't have any answer to your questions and I'm sure that no one in Deccan Cargo including Baldy will have the answers as they themselves don't know what they're doing :ok:

[ABCD Pilot]

any idea on when deccan will start hiring for atr fo's?

[HAWK21M]

How are the loads on Deccan 360.
By the look of it.... The A310s seem almost empty.

[Sky Dancer]

Yes almost empty , the only thing filling the aircraft are Capt.G.R.Gopinath's last strands of hair,his falling teeth and the usual **** that happens to fall out of his mouth.Last I heard is he's looking for a strategic investor to pump money into the airline, this time around people seemed to have wisened up and no one is taking the bait..:}:ok:

[optimus.Prime]

Wonder where has Good-Ol' VJ disappeared to?:E

[SuperflyTNT]

To me, i've always thought that deccan 360 wouldn't do well. Air cargo in India isn't a great way to make money. When you already have Blue Dart/DHL doing their bit in India and also Air India/Indian Airlines which transport the India Postal Service Air Mail. As for sending larger shipments like cars or something on the same lines (heavy machinery) people in India generally drive down or use our good ol' Ashok Leyland trucks for transport or drive the distance themselves!!