Shobhi T Paul comes across as a different breed of businessman. Not the serious, uptight types I I that rules the roost in the business world. No, he is always game for a joke and a loud cackle. As you see him sprinting up through the stairways that leads to his office, you get a hint of his willingness to roll up his sleeves and get dirty, if the situation ever demands it. There’s something about him, beyond his benevolent forbearance that also tells you that if even that time comes, you wouldn’t want to be an opponent of his. In fact, he perfectly fits the bill as the business magnet would do something big, with a nonchalance that will surprise you- something as big as starting of a venture where you get a fleet of flying machines and set up a chartered flight enterprise. As we strike up a conversation over a steaming cup of tea, Shobhi tells me the story of his venturing out from an already formidable business empire to set up Hellitours India Pvt Ltd, one of the most promising young companies in the country right now.
As someone who has travelled to some of the most economically vibrant parts of the world, I knew that heli-tourism could be quite a lucrative enterprise, a gold mine waiting to be dug, if all goes well that is(smiles). Heli-tourism is very popular in the cash-rich Middle- East and some parts of the US too. I was toying with the idea for quite some time. As luck would have it, on a trip back to Kochi, I see a chopper at the Kochi International Airport. That kicked me into action. I worked on my leads and in some time, we had a dedicated fleet of winged machines and a robust organization, Helitours India Pvt Ltd.
What was the vision you had when you started off?
Today, time is the most valuable commodity, which also makes it a wonderful idea to encash on it. This is exactly what we had in mind when Helitours started off. We wanted to cater to an elite group of clients for whom saving a few hours would mean an addition of a substantial income. It was targeting this group that Helitours was launched. We wanted be a trusted partner to them, understanding the criticality of their requirements and ensuring that travelling woes never got to them. With our ever- expanding clientele, we are slowly reaching the top of the list of this niche service providers.
Who are your major clients?
Oh, we have an impressive clientelle. Some of the biggest names from the worlds of business, politics and cinema have availed our services including Pratap Reddy, the Appollo group dhief, C.K. Menon, the head of Behzad group, Qatar, cineactors Hrithik Roshan, Abishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and also some central and state ministers.
So what are the services that you provide?
We offer chartered copters, aircrafts and jets. Though our company is based out of Kochi, we have been able to provide connectivity to all the major destinations in the country and
Oh, the package tour seems like a cool idea. Could you elaborate?
We sensed that people would love it if someone could shorten the transit period on the way to their destination. The grueling drive from the airport to the destination is not most tourists enjoy, they would rather want to swoop down into the destination itself. So we thought if we could improvise with our helis to bring the travelling time down, it would be a handsome deal. This is what prompted us to plan the packages. For example we have formulated a Kochi- Munnar-Kumarakom- Kochi package that gives you a total favor of Kerala. This is what the package tours are all about.We are also planning to launch pilgrimage packages. The first one would be the Kochi- Guruwayoor-Sabarimala package that would bestarted this September. This would aid a lot of devotees who throng to these shrines from around the world.
How do the operations happen?The Modus Operandi?
It’s quite simple. No rocket science. We have our website www. helitoursindia.com. A few calls could do it. And the flights could happen at quite a short notice too. There are a few formalities and clearances that have to be obtained and also the drawing of a flight plans. Once that Is completed, you could be flying immediately.
Tell us about your mean machines.
Oh the machines, we have a few beauties there. A fleet of twin-engine AW 109 Charlies and a few Eurocoptor Airbuses. That’s our choppers. In the fixed winged aircrafts side too, We also have some great machines in the fixed wing aircrafts as well.
And the connectivity?
With our chartered helicopters, we have connectivity across all the major cities in the country. We offer chartered flights to Middle-east, Sri Lanka, east and the South-east.
What is the concept of Joy Rides?
Joy rides are short aerial tours conducted for a period of fifteen to thirty minutes, giving the fliers a feel of a chopper ride. This can happen only when we have a group of enthusiasts willing to take up the ride. This was something of a hindrance when we started off, which made us pull it back for some time. However we are planning to re-launch it pretty soon.
There is some amount of risk involved in every venture. If it’s the risk of air crashes you are talking about, then that’s something else. Statistics say that air travel is among the safest mode of transports with a crash possibility of 1%. However, air crashes are almost always catastrophic and results in loss of life. And what’s more air crashes always gain instant and enormous notoriety, making it seem like flying is dangerous. No, I am not underplaying the risks. In fact, we are very stringent when it comes to adhering with the safety norms, no compromises there. Also all our pilots are trained with the emergency procedures and all our machines are well equipped to handle and tight situations.
Who are these pilots?
They are from the defense background, well equipped to tackle and tame our mean machines.
What other services do you offer?
We also use offer ambulance service on our aircrafts and choppers mainly for organ transplants. This has saved many a life. Health is one field that we are proud of associating with. We also offer services like flower showering for special events off our choppers and also aerial shots for movies.
Plans for the future?
Like every other enterprise, expansion is a major plan. We would want to expand our operations to more destinations, which would mean getting more machines, more men. We would also want to focus on formulating more packages as we think that could be our trump card. In tandem, we would also want to take the whole organization towards excellence both in terms of scale and quality.