Thank you Team Jet

The success story of Jet Airways stands testimony to the efforts and commitment of all those who have seen it from its early days to today, when it turns 20. Some of them shared their precious memories by way of letters and images.

The Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal with his executive assistant Ms Jennifer D’silva.

The Jet Family Remembers...

JENNIFER D’SILVA Executive Assistant to the Chairman May 5, 2013 will be a particularly proud day for me. After being a happy part of the 10th Anniversary of our airline a decade ago, what had then seemed a distant dream, will come true when we turn 20 on May 5 this year. I have seen and worked every single day these past 20 years at close quarters after my earlier days at our GSA, JetAir. Never to my knowledge has an airline emerged from a GSA company as we have. Birth pangs and growing up years were exhausting, but it has been an incredibly rich experience to witness the vision of our Chairman unfold. From being a domestic carrier, Jet Airways now spans international routes, competing with and setting standards for the best in the business. No one can predict what the future will hold and I certainly may not be around for the celebration of the third decade of Jet Airways. But I will always hold my boss, our Chairman, in awe and gratitude for his brilliant vision and trademark human touch. I wish him fondly on this second decade and years ahead of continued, unbounded success.

PREMILLA KANGA Executive Assistant to the Chairman (London)The long and winding memory lane spanning over 23 years as a Jet Group family member is dotted with several significant and perhaps not-so-significant events.

However, if I were to pick one it would be the nerve-wracking, nail-biting, tension-packed hours leading to Jet Airways taking delivery of the first B737-300 aircraft we had leased from Ansett Worldwide as far back as April 1993. There was frenetic activity preceding the arrival of the long awaited star on the horizon for Jet Airways and it is the 11th hour activity on April 15th /16th, 1993, that is still quite vivid in my mind.

Both Ansett’s lawyers and our lawyers, after prolonged discussions over several days, had hammered out the details of the aircraft lease agreement which included conditions which had to be fulfilled by Jet prior to taking delivery of the aircraft. With the clock ticking away before the scheduled arrival of the aircraft, Mr Goyal, Mrs Goyal and several of the executives were in Maker Chambers having ongoing discussions with lawyers in India, aviation insurance/reinsurance

The Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal with Ms Premilla Kanga.

brokers located in UK and Europe, the lessor in Australia and Mr Datta in the US thus involving four different continents and corresponding time zones. Due to the urgency of the situation, both sets of lawyers agreed to see the 9W reps well past the closing hours of their respective offices in Mumbai to sign off compliance in respect of the legal requirements. Thereafter, Ansett in Australia were waiting for the aircraft insurance/reinsurance certificates in the requisite format to be vetted by them before they would instruct their representative in Phoenix to effect the delivery of the aircraft to Mr Datta who was positioned there to accept delivery. To mark the arrival of the aircraft, invitations had already been sent to the Chief Guest, Guest of Honour and several other invitees to grace the occasion at a reception being held at the airport. The worry, foremost in our minds, was that there would not be enough time to postpone or reschedule any of the celebrations planned in the event of a delay in the aircraft arriving into Mumbai.

It was only after we received confirmation that all requisite approvals and documentation had been satisfactorily completed and the aircraft would depart Phoenix as planned did all

of us leave Maker Chambers in the early hours of April 16.

It was an extremely proud and very emotional moment for us to see our first aircraft in our distinctive colours circle gracefully overhead before landing on schedule at Mumbai airport. I can quite honestly say that there was not a dry eye among those in the Jet group who had the good fortune to be present to mark this milestone in the 20-year history of Jet Airways.

SONU KRIPALANI Vice President–Sales (India) Twenty-seven years ago I was all drenched in colour on a Holi day when I was introduced to our Chairman Mr Goyal. He shook my hand hesitantly. Little did I know that the handshake would outlast two decades.

The word ‘amazing’ would not suffice to describe my time with JetAir followed by Jet Airways. I proudly say to all that I am the kid, the child of this company… Where else would I have learnt so much about interpersonal skills? Where else would I have been exposed to the who’s who of our aviation industry? I have met my trade partners who have walked hand in hand with me to bring Jet right there at the top thanks to their criticisms and compliments.

I have had the opportunity of working with some of the most beautiful people in the world, the people who are the backbone of Jet, the staff. Working with them was a joy; I was sometimes a guide, sometimes a parent, often a friend, being their support in their critical moments. Parting from some of them when they left the company were some of the most sorrowful moments of my journey.

I have felt the trials and joys of opening new stations such as Rajkot, Porbandar and Bhuj, which we started with building a shed at the airport for our guests. On 10th November, 1999, I basked in the glory of witnessing the ceremony of our Chairman when he received the first purchased Boeing in Seattle. That day happened to be my birthday too and I remember being extremely excited, fulfilled and proud to be able to sit in the aircraft’s cockpit.

I would not have been groomed to understand the business and its demands if it were not for Neeta Goyal, my mentor. The thrill of meeting targets, moments of failure and crossing hurdles after hurdles shaped me to be the person I am today. Jet has helped me evolve beyond my wildest dreams. This girl who had no courage for public speaking can now address so many audiences with passion and enthusiasm that I am amazed at myself.

I have met beautiful people, who, today, I count among my closest friends, who are now for me my family. What a journey! I can only describe it in three words—my magnificent obsession…

Ms Sonu Kripalani with Mrs Anita Goyal.

Board member Mr Ali Ghandour with Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal in the early years.

Late Mr JRD Tata with Mr Sharad Pawar, Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal, his brother Mr Surinder Goyal, wife Mrs Anita Goyal, his mother, and daughter Ms Namrata Goyal on the day of the inaugural flight in 1993.

Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal with his wife Mrs Anita Goyal.

When Jet Airways was launched, I remember standing in the venue along with my batchmates and colleagues when the Chairman and the board of directors addressed the media. We were the first batch of trainee pilots who would fly the passengers of the newly launched airline. At that time, we displayed the freshness, the youth and the professional ethos of the airline.

Twenty years later, age may have wilted the freshness a wee bit, youthful exuberance has surely matured into an experienced wisdom, but I feel extremely proud to acclaim that I still represent the professional ethos of Jet Airways with as much vigour and enthusiasm. Perhaps more so now than then!

Seems just the other day Captain Robin Williams, god bless his soul, and Mr Ramakrishnan gave us tips on how to save fuel and fly on time. I do believe that those formative years of Jet Airways were the foundation of what I call the “Jet Airways Culture” that exists even today.

I’m positive no one will disagree that in 20 short years, the kind of lessons we have learnt, and the knowledge that we have gained, have thrust upon us a wisdom that few airlines in the world can boast of. We have not only survived, we have prospered. In spite of an environment that is plagued with state interventions, unfair competition, archaic laws, debilitating tax and duty structures, and a customer base that had never experienced flying en masse!

We faced competition with little level playing field, went public, acquired an

airline, faced economic recession head on, expanded our fleet, mitigated our risks, dealt with strife—internal and external—and yet we have come out with flying colours. Surely we must be doing something right.

All of us are aware of the changing dynamics—environmental, internal, technological and operational— and how Jet Airways successfully negotiated its way through it all. With dignity, with prudence and with elan!

We did it primarily because of an intangible culture that seeped inside all its employees at the very beginning. As pilots, we understood the value of saving fuel. We realised the importance of being on time. We understood the concept of discipline and gradually passed it on to all new recruits.

I think the biggest contribution from the management in establishing a Jet Airways “culture” is that somehow it made us employees feel it is our own airline. It sounds clichéd, but like a family, the management indulged the truancy of its employees, catered to their whims occasionally, humoured their demands,

made them feel proud of their roles and responsibilities, provided them with a great infrastructure and basically took care of its employees like few airlines can.

As we celebrate our 20th anniversary with verve and gusto, it may be an obvious observation to state that “the future starts today”. I am confident our management will guide us through the changing dynamics of the aviation industry gently, humanely and inclusively. I am equally confident, the “family” that is Jet Airways will reciprocate the future imperatives with innovation, enthusiasm and creativity.

My 20-year stint with Jet Airways has helped me develop my professional values. These values will remain with me long after I would have left the company. I am extremely proud of them. Together these three values—personal, social and professional—define me as a human being. And thus, as a toast to celebrate our 20th anniversary, I offer my sincerest and deepest gratitude to the airline. I wish Jet Airways the very best in its future growth.

Clockwise from left: Capt Manoj Mahna with the Chairman; Mr Nalin Gagrani, Mr Gaurang Shetty and Mr Belson Coutinho at the 10th anniversary celebrations; Mr Javed Akhtar with the Chairman.

CAPT. FLOYD GRACIOUS Chief Pilot B737 Fleet

General Manager, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Mr U Harish Shenoy (second from right) with crew at Mangalore airport in 1995.

Mr and Mrs Goyal standing next to the first ATR 72-500.

Board members Mr Javed Akhtar, Mr Iftikar M Kadri and Mr Ali Ghandour with Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal.

The Chairman with Mr Mahiyar Sadri, CEO JetAir and Mr Nikos Kardassis, CEO Jet Airways at the 21st anniversary of JetAir.

Mr Oscar D’Mello with Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal at the 10th anniversary celebrations.

Ms Lydia Nazareth, GM–UK and Ireland, being felicitated by Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal at the 21st anniversary of JetAir.

Mr Neville Mehta with his colleagues from the Planning Department with the first ATR 72-500.

A letter written by Mr Oscar D’Mello congratulating Jet Airways on its 20th anniversary.

M BABU Hyderabad CTOI joined Jet Airways as an office attendant and today I feel proud to work as an assistant officer in the sales department and handle administrative work.

I had the privilege of thanking our Chairman in person when he came to Hyderabad on February 8, 2011, for the Black Comedy show organised by Ms Namrata Goyal. Thanks to her, I will always cherish the opportunity the event gave me to meet the Chairman.

It was indeed a wish come true that I had the privilege of meeting him during the show. I spoke to him about my issues and he was very kind and showed the patience to listen and also acted upon resolving those issues. After serving the company for more than 19 years, I sincerely thank the Chairman for granting me the promotion.

Now, when Jet Airways is celebrating the completion of two successful decades of operations since its inception, I feel very proud to be associated with this organisation. I thank each and every individual for their support, suggestions and proud moments given to me during my tenure.

Ms Maya Hariharan, Manager–Premiere Unit, Mumbai international airport and Ms Rhea Murthy with a guest.

The Chairman with Mr Karma Whiting who started as cabin crew and is now Deputy GM-Operations.

M Babu with his old colleagues at the Hyderabad office.

Pankaj Tripathi with the inaugural team at Jodhpur (Staff on deputation from JAI, DEL, IXJ and CCU).

RACHNA CHOPRA Head Service Audit If we were to look up the meaning of a mentor, a friend, a father figure and a demanding boss, our Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal’s picture would appear in the dictionary. The warmth and humility that we have imbibed in us comes from our Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal and Mrs Neeta Goyal.

I feel overjoyed to celebrate the history and culture we have created for these 20 years in our organisation.

Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal with Ms Rachna Chopra at the 10th anniversary celebrations.

Mr Abhijit Angolkar—Airport Manager Hyderabad with his wife and Ms Sonu Kripalani.

JetViva staff members with Ms Namrata Goyal at an event held in Delhi.

Jet Airways Nagpur staff and crew members during the airline’s 5th anniversary.

Engineering department at their 10th anniversary celebrations.

Mr C K Reddy, Assistant Manager, Security, Hyderabad with the Chairman on the occasion of completing 10 years of service in the year 2003.

Left: Mr Syed Ahmed Jaleel, Key Accounts Manager, Sales, Aurangabad, receiving the Best Services Award from Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal.

Right: Cake-cutting ceremony at Brussels. Seen here are Ms Celine Hertsens–Human Resourses, Mrs Nadia Baiz–Inside Sales Executive, Mr Stefan Hollands–GM BeNeLux, Mrs Sanna Naqvi–Sales Manager Leisure Sales and Mr Emanuel Menu–VP Continental Europe.

A K SINGHA Security Officer, GuwahatiIn 1998, there was a hijack incident that took place at Guwahati airport. I was a senior security assistant then and we had only three departures from Guwahati scheduled for that day—one for Delhi, one for Imphal and another for Kolkata. The Imphal-bound flight was on ground and boarding was going on.

As soon as the cabin crew of the flight closed the doors of the aircraft at 11:30 am, two passengers with arms got up from their seats and rushed to the cockpit. They demanded that the captain take the flight to the neighbouring country, Bangladesh. He was asked to connect with the ATC. A hue and cry followed at the airport and members of the Aerodrome Committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner rushed to the airport and started negotiations with the hijackers.

The aircraft was parked in the Air Force bay which happens to be on the opposite side of the Guwahati airport. I was briefed to act as a middleman to pass the information on both sides using my walkie-talkie. After a while, the hijacker asked us to align the front step ladder and released some passengers from the aircraft. Half an hour later, it was declared that the negotiation had been successful. The aircraft came back to the original bay and all the passengers with both hijackers were deplaned. We later found out that it was a mock exercise carried out by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). Both the hijackers were none other than Mr O P Yadav and Mr D P Dahiya, Asst Commissioners from BCAS headquarters, New Delhi. They were conducting this drill to examine the security arrangements at this hyper-sensitive airport.

KOCHUKRISHNAN MENON Senior General Manager, Operations and PlanningI joined the organisation on January 7, 1993 and initially all of us (Engineering and Flight Operations) were working from two rooms at The Leela. Three months later, we shifted to the first floor of Hotel Transit from where we despatched our first flight on May 5, 1993.

Initially, Mr Charlie D’Souza and I were the only despatchers who were approved by the DGCA and both of us, in addition to handling other administrative jobs such as HR/LIC and training, were also involved in despatching flights. For the initial period of five months we were working continuously without any offs.

Mr Kochukrishnan Menon with Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal at the 10th anniversary celebrations.

Mr A K Singha (second from left) with his colleagues.

Mr Ashok Gopinath, Senior General Manager, Engineering Quality, with his colleagues during the induction of the first ATR 72-300 in October 1999.

From left to right: Ms Aakruti Bagwe with Mr Ram Redkar, Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal and Ms Minal Naik at the Diwali celebrations in 2010.

Mr Kanwaljit S Luthra (in turban) with Mr Goyal at one of JetAir’s annual parties.

GERARD PEREIRA Guest RelationsIt was on January 27, 1993, when I was appointed as Reservations and Ticketing Assistant in this prestigious organisation. With just a few computers in the reservations unit for four months, we trained each other to take calls and make bookings in Hotel Ras International in Andheri East. I recall the morning of May 5, 1993, after I did a night shift and left for home but stayed awake to hear the good news of our first flight that had landed at Coimbatore. I was proud then and am even more so now. I was later transferred to the department of Central Space Control (now known as Revenue Management) and remember Mrs Anita Goyal always calling in the early hours to know the loads for the Delhi flights the next day.

The keen interest and dedication shown towards this airline over the years by Mr and Mrs Goyal has brought it to where it stands today. It is because of their vision that Jet Airways became the best domestic and world-class airline. I remember him saying he desired that every five minutes there should be either a landing or a take-off anywhere in the world and it should be a Jet Airways aircraft.

It was indeed a privilege to receive my 10-year certificate and gold coin from Mr Naresh Goyal himself.Mr Goyal, I am glad to be a part of this amazing organisation and would like to wish you and Mrs Goyal the very best in your future endeavours and see emerald turn to silver and then to gold.

KANWALJIT S LUTHRA Sales Manager, DelhiI have been a part of the Jet family since January 1985 when I joined JetAir as a sales executive. I also had the opportunity to head the Royal Jordanian Unit of JetAir GSA and was Area Manager, JetAir heading the GSA for Biman Bangladesh Airlinks before joining Jet Airways as a Sales Manager in October 2007. My 25 years with the group have been most satisfying and I have had many unforgettable moments. The most memorable was when I was taking care of Mr Goyal’s wedding arrangements at Taj Palace Hotel in New Delhi.

I was fortunate to be one of the few chosen to stay at Taj Palace Hotel to ensure that the guests at the celebrations have a comfortable stay.The best part was to have received a personal letter from Mr Goyal thanking me for the arrangements.

Left: Mr Amitava Bhattacharya, CIM-in-charge, MAA-engg line maintenance with his wife and Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal.

Ms Deepika Poojary (third from left in front row) with her team in 2010.

Ms Sneha S Parekh receiving the ‘Seamless Customer Service Award for Revenue Management’ from ex-CEO Mr Wolfgang Prock-Schauer for 2005-2006.

Mr Ashutosh Shukla (third from left), Airport Manager, Brussels, with his colleagues at Vadodara Airport on the 5-year anniversary of Jet Airways.

VANDANA Duty Officer–Ticketing, Hyderabad First and foremost, I would like to convey my heartiest congratulations to our Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal and every member of the Jet Airways family on a very happy 20th anniversary.

I am privileged to be associated with the airline that has given passengers the ‘Joy of Flying’. Even during tough times, Mr Naresh Goyal stood by us and gave us the confidence to work and overcome the crisis. I would like to share a few happy moments while I was handling foreign delegates accompanying former President of the United States of America—Mr Bill Clinton. When Air Force One touched base at the Begumpet airport, the entire vicinity was covered with clouds of sand and we just stood there with our eyes open to see such a huge aircraft landing. It was a moment of pride for us to handle special charter for them. I was able to be a part of such a memorable experience only thanks to Jet Airways.

A quality that I most appreciate and cherish about Jet Airways is guest loyalty. And this has been possible purely because of the Chairman’s dream of giving world-class service to flyers.

DEEPIKA POOJARY Head, Guest RelationsOn the occasion of our 20th anniversary, I continue to be a proud employee and thank our Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal, under whose dynamic leadership we have reached this milestone. Our anniversary is a milestone achievement for Jet Airways—an Indian operator that has survived and, in fact, emerged a winner in the tumultuous aviation industry.

Guest Relations, the department as it is known now, has been re-christened a number of times... I don’t think there is any other department in this organisation that has had so many nomenclature changes. We continue to be known as those who handle complaints, which is, by itself, a generic coding of work order discipline and one that we are proud to identify ourselves with.

Being in this department for such a long tenure, I have seen both high and low moments, good and bad times but the spirit of positive alignment and a buoyant approach prevailed and was kept very much alive, considering the nature of our work.

On this occasion, I would like to thank all my past bosses who have played a prominent role in my development as an employee and as a person—Swarna Kaji, Nandini Verma, Shaiqua Vyas, Ernest Collette, Premilla Kanga, Vijay Sethi, Shivani Karki, Jehangir Mehta, Jayaraj Shanmugam, Narendra Mansukani, Mark Turner and Tejinder Singh. This list would be incomplete without making a special reference to Derek Coutinho and Mr Saroj Datta. Derek mentored me for more than a decade and has helped me grow and reach the position that I am in now. Mr Datta’s superlative drafting helped fine-tune my writing skills.

Jet Airways is and will continue to be the leader that pioneered a revolutionary phase in the aviation industry.

ANITA REDDY Customer Service Manager, Internal SalesI would like to wish Mr and Mrs Goyal as well as the entire Jet Airways family a very happy 20th anniversary. I have been with 9W since August 13, 1996, when I was appointed as a customer service agent. This job landed in my lap when I was in desperate need to secure myself. Over the years, 9W stood by me like a mother and took care of my needs.

I consider myself very lucky because my family had the opportunity of meeting Mr Goyal when he was at Hyderabad for the Black Comedy show. On February 12, 2011, after another Black Comedy show, I had the honour of sitting next to Mr Goyal and having dinner.

Mr and Mrs Goyal will always hold a special place in my heart because they have set an excellent example of success. Starting on a humble note, they have taken the airline to international standards and sustained the best private airline position for over a decade. In spite of all this, both Mr and Mrs Goyal are very approachable, comforting and caring. Every day I remember both of them in my prayers and wish for their well being. May God almighty bless them with the best of health, peace of mind, prosperity and success.

HUSSEIN S. JARIWALA Base Manager, Cabin Crew Department, Chennai The founding of our airline was a milestone in civil aviation in India. Completing over 18 years was a moment of pride for me. Joining as cabin crew and continuing in the present responsibility as Base Manager, Cabin Crew Department, all carry fond and special memories. Over the years, I had the opportunity to be part of the service department, Mumbai base team, coordinate the Bahrain wet-lease operations and to work with some of the finest professionals. My wishes and prayers for a continual fruitful relationship.

Coimbatore staff at the 10th anniversary celebrations held in Mumbai on May 5, 2003. Seen here are Mr Christopher Raj, Ms Jyothi Mahesh and Mr Lakshmikanth with Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal and Mrs Anita Goyal.

Ms Kavita Das, Senior Flight Operations Assistant, LGBI Airport, Guwahati, has completed five years with Jet Airways. She writes, “It is only [at Jet Airways] that I could realise my actual potential and learn ways to jettison my drawbacks and inhibitions.”

From left to right: Capt Hassan Al-Mousawi, Sr Vice President Flight Operations, Mr John Guselli, Director JCG Aviation Services, Ms Savina Rodrigues, Executive Secretary, Ms Flavy D’souza, Executive Assistant, Mr Lindsay Naylor, Councilor JCG Aviation Services and Capt Ranbir Singh, Vice President Flight Safety at the Safety Seminar hosted by Jet Airways from April 16 to 18, 2008.

Left: Mr Naresh Goyal with his brother Mr Surinder Goyal and Mr Ajay Kumar Pandey from the Finance Department, Delhi.

The very first batch of Jet Airways’ cabin crew.

The agency awards at Indore (where the theme was ‘Back to School’). Seen here are Ms Sonu Kripalani, Mr Tariq Abbasi, Ms Anagha Davare and Ms Jasmine Jagus.

Ms Ashish Majra (second from left) and a colleague handing a boarding pass to a passenger during the inaugural flight from Ahmedabad to London.

Jet Airways’ loaders at a colleague’s birthday party in Aurangabad. Cabin crew inside a Jet Airways’ aircraft in the year 1997.

Ms Meera Gautama (standing next to Chairman Mr Naresh Goyal) with Ms Rinku Shah of cabin crew training along with in-flight team members.

Mr Nischal Bhasin on the 5th anniversary of Jet Airways at the Amarchand Mansion office in Mumbai.

We were all very excited as it was one of the first important milestones among the many we have had since our inception. I was the Assistant Manager, Sales, based at Amarchand Mansion, Mumbai, reporting to Sonu [Kripalani]. We had made an aircraft side-view with windows on the main show window of the office. We all celebrated by wearing ‘High 5’ T-shirts and yellow gloves with ‘High 5’ written on them.

We divided ourselves into teams and went to our top Travel Agents and Corporates to do a blitz with Jet Airways banners, pom-poms and a music system, playing songs. In the evening, we hired five tongas, decorated the same in our corporate colours and took out a procession from Amarchand Mansion to Nariman Point and back. There was a lot of noise, lot of music and lot of fun.

NISCHAL BHASIN General Manager–Sales, Delhi & NCR

Mr Naveet Naseer with his colleagues inside the aircraft that operated on May 5, 1998, the 5th anniversary of Jet Airways at Kochi.

Mr Dato K Jeyakanthan, Sr Vice President, Aircraft Projects & Product (Technical), with Mrs Anita Goyal and actress Sridevi at an event.

Fifth anniversary ‘High 5’ celebrations.

KALPANA VENKATESH Assistant Manager, MumbaiTwenty years ago, I was a young woman, fresh out of college. I showed up at the airport counter of Jet Airways ready to start my first day at a real job. Over the past 20 years, I’ve worked my way up from a customer service assistant to an assistant manager.

I’ve seen that even through tough times my airline never wavered, good times or bad we matched the competitive pricing, flew on time, aircraft were maintained, and the customer service standard remained best-in-class. All thanks to a leader who persisted through the losses, and yet never missed a single month’s salary in 20 years. He has been generous with the bonus too.

A lot has changed in two decades.Twenty years back, we had just a few leased aircraft, today we have a large fleet of over 100 aircraft. I’ve watched my company go public, share prices grew slowly but steadily, and eventually, we were made stakeholders too.

SHAKIR KANTAWALA Regional Manager—Sales & Marketing Gulf, Middle East & N.Africa I have been with Jet Airways since June 1995 and have retained many copies of our in-flight magazine. In 2008, I selected the covers of some of the ‘milestone’ JetWings and now proudly display them on the wall of my office in Dubai.

These specific issues (from amongst the many more that I have), cover major events of the formative years of our airline, and its international expansion, for example, the very first issue, 5th anniversary, 10th anniversary, 15th anniversary, FFP upgrades, uniform changes, etc.

I’ve still kept every letter Jet Airways sent me right from my job offer to my last increment. When I started at Jet we were all a young inexperienced bunch of college graduates. Quite a few of this bunch are still with Jet, with job titles ranging from Assistant Manager to Director.

One of the proudest moments of my life was receiving the ‘Seamless Customer Care Award’ from the then CEO Mr Wolfgang Prock-Schauer. In

the last twenty years there have been a host of other domestic as well as international awards the airline has won, but the greatest award has been from the passengers themselves.

And I can gladly say that the good times have far outnumbered the bad ones. May God bless this airline, the management, the employees and its passengers with an eternity of good fortune and fair winds.

Mr Naresh Goyal with children Namrata and Nivaan Goyal.

RADHIKA SHEKHARAN Revenue Accounts I was one among the few people who were sent on deputation to Jet Airways (Revenue Accounts) in 1993 from JetAir.

I still remember the important day—May 5, 1993—when our first flight took off and all of us were excited. The accounts department was not fully set up and there were a few people who were assigned different tasks available at that time. With the support and guidance from my seniors and my colleagues from various departments along with technology changes, we managed to formulate a smooth operations process. During this period, I moved to different offices, from Ras Hotel, SM Annexe, Litolier and now Kaledonia. There were a lot of ups and downs faced in this journey along with balancing work and family, which I have tried my best to overcome with the grace of God and support from my family and seniors. I also remember the time we had worked behind the shutters during the 1993 riots, sitting in the basement at Ras on boxes and working. The annual party, pujas and picnics are memorable and will always be cherished.

I have learnt a lot from this organisation and would like to convey a special thanks to Mr Ananth Iyer, Ms Shobha Randeria and Mr V Janakiraman who have been very helpful and encouraging.

This tenure with Jet Airways has been undoubtedly the most brilliant experience of my life which I would always remember. Finally, heartiest wishes to our Chairman, Mr Naresh Goyal and Mrs Anita Goyal for this outstanding and well-deserved achievement.

RUCHIKA SINGH General Manager Sales, East India

I joined Jet Airways on September 1, 1995, unaware of the fact that the next decade and a half (still counting) would be a life-changing experience as I grew along with the most promising airline in India, which would, with time, become a global brand. I would like to share some of the experiences which influenced me and shaped my life.

Long before I met our Chairman, I got the opportunity to meet one of the most important influences in my life—Mrs Goyal. It was at a team meeting where my suggestions were rudely discarded by a colleague. I was filled with embarrassment until I heard a soft but firm voice say “allow her to speak“. Mrs Goyal has always encouraged me to speak, has defended me at meetings by explaining the challenges faced in my part of the country.

As the years went by, I had the good fortune of meeting our Chairman on a few occasions. I remember a day when he had visited our office on Park Street and it had poured so much that we had trouble escorting him to the airport because his Mercedes broke down but he maintained his calm throughout the mayhem.

My team members and their families have immense respect for him. On behalf of all of us in East India, I would like to convey many congratulations to Mr and Mrs Goyal. We all hope to be a part of this glorious organisation for many more years, taking it to even greater heights.

Ms Shobha with CEO Mr Nikos Kardassis, on the 5th anniversary of Jet Airways in May 1998.

Jet Airways’ employees from Ahmedabad at the Black Comedy show in Ahmedabad, held in 2011.

On the occasion of Jet Airways' 20th anniversary, with compliments from Spenta Multimedia