Naresh Goyal (59), the founder Chairman of Jet Airways, India’s premier airline, has over 38 years of experience in the Civil Aviation industry. He is the recipient of several national and international awards.
After graduating in Commerce in 1967, Mr. Naresh Goyal joined the travel business with the GSA for Lebanese International Airlines. From 1967 to 1974 he underwent extensive training in all facets of the travel business through his association with several foreign airlines. He also extensively travelled overseas on business during this period.
With the experience, expertise and technical know-how thereby acquired, in May 1974, Mr. Naresh Goyal founded Jetair (Private) Limited with the objective of providing Sales and Marketing representation to foreign airlines in India. He was involved in developing studies of traffic patterns, route structures, operational economics and flight scheduling, all of which has made him an authority in the world of aviation and travel.
In 1991, as part of the ongoing diversification programme of his business activities, Mr. Naresh Goyal took advantage of the opening of the Indian economy and the enunciation of the Open Skies Policy by the Government of India to set up Jet Airways for the operation of scheduled air services on domestic sectors in India. Jet Airways commenced commercial operations on May 05, 1993.
Mr. Goyal has been re-elected to IATA Board of Governors for the year 2008-09. He has earlier served on the Board of Governors of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), from 2004-2006.
In 15 years, Jet Airways has emerged as India’s largest private domestic airline and has been acclaimed by frequent travellers as the most preferred carrier offering the highest quality of comfort, courtesy, standards of ground and in-flight services and reliability of operations. Jet Airways currently operates a fleet of 10 - Boeing 777-300 ERs, 54 New and Next-Generation Boeing 737s, 9 Airbus A330-200 aircraft and 11 ATR72-500s turbo-prop aircraft. With over 385 daily flights, the Airlines network connects 64 destinations, of which nineteen are international, i.e. New York (both JFK and Newark), San Francisco,Toronto, Brussels, London, Shanghai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Kuwait, Muscat, Doha, Colombo, Kathmandu and Dhaka.
Jet Airways has been voted India’s “Best Domestic Airline” by several organisations of world-class repute. The airline has also been conferred with several national and international awards instituted by leading organisations including the Market Development Award for 2001 of Air Transport World (ATW) of USA. Jet Airways has also won the ‘Service Excellence Award’ hosted by Global Managers at Mumbai. Mr. Goyal in his capacity as Chairman, Jet Airways has won the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Services’ from Ernst & Young and also ‘Distinguished Alumni Award-2000’ for meritorious and distinguished performance as an Entrepreneur’ and also the ‘Most Respected Company in Travel and Hospitality Sector’. Other awards conferred on Mr. Goyal include the ‘Outstanding Asian-Indian’ award for leadership and contribution to the global community given by the Indian American Centre for Political Awareness, ‘Aerospace Laurels’ for outstanding contribution in the field of Commercial Air Transport twice, in April 2000 and February 2004. The airline has also been given the ‘Pride in Excellence’ award from Boeing Company for maintaining the highest Technical Despatch Reliability for the second year in succession in April 2004. In August 2003, the airline was awarded the ‘Superbrand’ status by the world’s leading authority on branding, the Superbrands Council.
Jet Airways with the acquisition of JetLite, today has a combined fleet strength of 105 aircraft and offers customers a schedule of over 525 flights daily.
In July 2005, Business Week selected Chairman, Naresh Goyal as one of the five leaders from India in their Asia Edition cover story “Stars of Asia - 25 Leaders at The Forefront of Change.”
Chairman, Naresh Goyal received the first BML Munjal Award for Excellence in Learning & Development in the Private Sector category from the Honourable Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Praful Patel along with a citation at a special function at Hotel Maurya Sheraton, New Delhi on January 6, 2006.
The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh presented the first NDTV Profit Business Award 2006 to Jet Airways, which was received by the Chairman, Naresh Goyal at a glittering function at Taj Palace Hotel on July 28, 2006. The award, in the aviation category, is to salute the men and women who fuel India’s journey to the forefront of the World Economy.
Chairman, Naresh Goyal was accorded the prestigious TATA AIG – Lifetime Achievement Award at the Abacus-TAFI Awards ceremony organized during the TAFI (Travel Agents’ Federation of India) International Travel Convention 2007, on Saturday 8th September, 2007 at the Sutera Harbour Resort in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
Chairman, Naresh Goyal, was conferred with “Travel Entrepreneur of the Year” award at the 19th annual TTG(Travel Trade Gazette) Travel Awards. The awards were presented at a glittering ceremony and gala dinner on Thursday 25th October, 2007 at the Sofitel Centara Grand, Bangkok.
Chairman, Naresh Goyal was awarded the prestigious “Man of the Year Award” by the Aviation Press Club (APC) at its 30th Anniversary on Wednesday, April 09, 2008, in Belgium. The Aviation Press Club is an influential club of Belgian Aviation Journalists.
