CONVERSATION WITH Mr RAJEEV KAUL MG & CEO, Aequs Aeerspace

Aviation Update Editor Kartikeya in conversation with Mr Rajeev Kaul, MD & CEO, Aequs, who talks about the overall company performance and the impact of the pandemic on the industry.

- Kartikeya

Right when the situation started to get better for the businesses, the second wave of the Covid pandemic halted their progress. How is it affecting your operations and finances both domestically and overseas?

The industry had thought the worst was behind it after the First Wave. But the difference this time around is that unlike during the First Wave, which was more global in nature and impacted the industry secularly across the board, the impact in the Second Wave was more localized to the sub-continent with the series of lockdowns and restrictions in India posing problems. But the overall business climate globally remains on the upward trajectory.

Talking about the impact on operations, the first and foremost concern was the health and safety of our employees. So, in the first instance when the Second Wave emerged, we took immediate steps to curtail its impact and to ensure social distancing, and take care of employee wellbeing. We ensured that our most critical deliveries and commitments to customers were met. To give credit to the Karnataka Government, they identified A&D as an essential service and supported us in meeting our commitments. This provided immense confidence to our global customers.

That apart, our fundamentals are strong and our operating model intact. So, we are inherently geared to take some shocks and have learned quite a lot on managing crises from the earlier wave.