The Cheeky Challenger feat. Shivani Singh Deo (Country Manager - India, Virgin Atlantic)

Episode 56 Virgin Atlantic isn’t just flying to India; they are painting the skies red with a staggering 350% growth since 2019. In this episode, Vishal sits down with Shivani Singh Deo, Country Manager – India for Virgin Atlantic, to decode how the "cheeky challenger" of aviation is aggressively expanding its footprint in one of the world's largest aviation markets. Transitioning from a marketing role to leading country operations, Shivani opens up about the strategy behind Virgin’s massive capacity boost—offering one million seats annually on India routes. We deep dive into the mechanics of their four-way partnership with IndiGo, Delta, and Air France-KLM, and how this alliance is reshaping the India-UK-US corridor. We also touch on the recent joint interview of AF-KLM & Lufthansa CEOs on their growing worries about Gulf-based airlines, as well as Turkish Airlines. Key discussion points: The 350% Surge: How Virgin Atlantic achieved massive growth and the strategy behind the new Bengaluru and double-daily Mumbai services.Strategic Alliances: Analysing the impact of the IndiGo and SkyTeam partners on Virgin’s competitive edge.Fleet & Product: Why the "youngest, cleanest fleet" matters, and the split between O&D vs. connecting traffic (60:40) to the US.Business of Cargo: Discussing the untold story of a 356% increase in cargo capacity.The Sky High Club: Inside the unique, India-only rewards program for travel agents.Women in Aviation: Shivani’s advice for aspiring female leaders in a male-dominated industry. Tune in for a masterclass on balancing profitability with personality in the skies. The Indian AvGeek streams on all major podcast apps. Vishal Mehra - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@vis⁠hal1mehra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠