Falcon displays Its prowess

SP’s Show News (SP’s): How has Dassault developed its well-established business relationship with India and how successful have you been?

Thierry de Poncins (Poncins): We have a long established presence in India, thanks to our military sales which started some 50 years ago. Dassault opened its first office in the Indian capital, New Delhi, in 1987, to liaise with the air orce when we delivered the first of a series of 59 Mirage 2000 aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The fact that we produce military aircraft with advanced technology, such as the Rafale, and that we use the same technology in our Falcon business jets, gives us some competitive advantages and is one of the reason why our brand awareness is so high in the Indian market. We delivered the first Falcon jet to a large corporation in Mumbai 15 years ago and so far we have delivered about 20 Falcon jets to customers in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

SP’s: How are you managing this relationship with regard to your business aviation division?

Poncins: Even as the market has become much more rational in the last few years, with customers knowing exactly what to demand and expect, our business still has a lot to do with passion, in India. Indian customers are really passionate about technology and innovation. They don’t only want to know about the Falcon performance and advantages; they also want to understand why our aircraft are better than the competition. I travel to India every three weeks or so to meet with potential customers face-to-face and explain the technology. I am as passionate as my customers.

This emphasis on technology in the Indian market is a great advantage for Dassault. For example, we pioneered a lot of high-tech systems for fighter jets, such as the heads up guidance system and the advanced man machine interface, like the easy cockpit. The Falcon 7X is the first (and still the only) business jet available that’s equipped with a fully-digital flight control system. Incorporating digital flight control systems has greatly increased flight precision, safety and comfort. The company is also proud of its track record in other innovations including advanced materials and aerodynamics, and the use of full digital processes during the entire product life cycle management.

Our customers are also very happy with the performance and capabilities of our aircraft because in India there are many short, elevated runways and often hot weather conditions. The Falcon jets can easily deal with these demanding situations, and much more effectively than the competition, because they are very well optimised in terms of design and weight.

SP’s: What kind of customers do you have in India-corporates or high net-worth individuals?

Poncins: Our customers are mostly corporates-medium size and large companies have perfectly understood the key benefits of business aviation. Business aviation is now seen in India as a powerful tool to enable quicker and convenient access to customers within the country and worldwide. The dramatic growth of the economy, poor customer experience of travelling on commercial airlines and infrastructure improvements have all contributed to the expansion of the market over the last few years. The number of charter companies has grown impressively and more and more high net worth individuals and entrepreneurs also want to become owners. The Ministry of Transportation has well understood the importance of business aviation to the economy by offering closely tailored flexible door to door transportation for individuals, enterprises and local communities.

SP’s: Which aircraft has proved the most popular in the market?

Poncins: Till date, the best performing aircraft has been the Falcon 2000 series, because of its exceptional flexibility and low operating cost. A Falcon 2000 can fly you from south to north India nonstop, in a large and comfortable cabin. At the top of our range, the Falcon 7X was certified in India last year (2010) and is becoming more attractive in India. We have already sold six Falcon 7Xs in India; the first was delivered in early 2010 and we will deliver the other five - along with 10 more Falcon aircraft (Falcon 900s and 2000s) within the next two years.

Our aircraft are also very cost-effective to run as they use up to 40 per cent less fuel than other aircraft in the same category, even with three engines (such as the Falcon 900LX and 7X). This is very important in India, as operators and owners are focused on operating costs. It also means lower gas emissions-another important factor in a market which is very concerned about environmental issues.

SP’s: What level of maintenance do you offer Falcon owners and operators in India?

Poncins: There are four service centres in India-Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore-approved for the Falcon family of jets by the local civil aviation authority. Operators can also benefit from our approved service centres in Singapore, Saudi Arabia or Dubai. Some owners prefer to go for heavy maintenance work to our main Falcon Service Centre, Dassault Falcon Service in Paris-Le Bourget. In addition to our liaison office in Delhi, we also have a technical representative in Mumbai as well as an inventory of spare parts.

SP’s: What is Dassault’s long-term strategy for business aviation in the Indian subcontinent?

Poncins: In the last few years, Dassault has invested heavily to increase its footprint in Asia. We opened a new office in Beijing last year in addition to our existing sales offices in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur. We have been in India for a long time and we have been successful. However, we are continuing to increase our efforts locally to ensure our operators continue to benefit from cost efficient and reliable operations, with the optimum support and response. In addition to our comprehensive support network, we have opened a new Falcon technical command centre in Saint-Cloud (France) providing round-the-clock advice and assistance to customers worldwide. We have also developed a suite of new and innovative technologies and online solutions for real time trouble-shooting that will start to benefit our customers by mid-2011. Last but not the least, our design office is now working flat out on the SMS, the code name for our new aircraft programme which will enter service in 2016. The new aircraft will obviously be loaded with the cutting edge technologies acclaimed by our customers.

We will have three Falcon aircraft at the Aero India. Mirage 2000 and Rafale fighters will also take part in the air display. We have supported the Bangalore Air show since its inception and also the India Aviation at Hyderabad. We intend to continue to support these shows in order to maintain a high profile within the Indian market as we do in the Middle East.