Lot of consumer-facing businesses to eventually become data companies: SpiceJet CEO Ajay Singh

New Delhi: There is terrific potential for the country's aviation sector and eventually a lot of consumer-facing traditional businesses, including airlines, will become large data companies, according to SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh. The domestic civil aviation sector had been recording good growth, which has slowed down in recent months. The domestic air passenger traffic rose just 1.18 percent in September compared to the year-ago period. "I think there is terrific potential and there can't be a better country for aviation eventually.. Out of 1.3 billion people, only three percent fly. Imagine if 10 percent flew, you will be the second-largest aviation market or probably even largest aviation market in the world," Singh said at an event here on Monday. [caption id="attachment_4069911" align="alignleft" width="380"]

File image of SpiceJet CEO Ajay Singh. Courtesy: News18.[/caption]He noted that the airline's order of 200 aircraft placed with Boeing valued at $25 billion creates 1,35,000 high paid jobs in the US. Singh, who has turned around the fortunes of the low-cost carrier, also said that industries like the airlines would become technology industries. "Industries like ours will ultimately become tech industries. We will eventually be a data company running an airline... How do we collect data and how do we use it. I think that is where the key is going to be. "I think airlines and a lot of traditional industries which are consumer-facing will eventually become large data companies just leveraging their data and actually using services like airlines to collect data about their consumers," he said. While noting that the government should reduce regulations as there are rules for everything, Singh mentioned about a recent DGCA move to have alcohol test for ground staff at airports. In a phased manner, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has rolled out-breath analyser examination of personnel engaged in aircraft maintenance, air traffic control services, airport operation and ground handling services. "I will tell you about a rule that our regulator (DGCA) came up with... and the rule says that now you need to test every single person who is ten percent of all our population at airports for alcohol in their breath... the guys working on the ground. "Ten percent of the entire population every single day every single shift, which now means that we need to hire hundreds of people to start... and this happens nowhere around the world," he said.