As part of its increased focus on the Indian market, Beechcraft Corporation yesterday announced that it has appointed a new sales distributor for the country. Arrow Aircraft Sales and Charters Private Limited (ARROW) has been named Beechcraft’s sales distributor in India, promoting its range of piston-engine aircraft and King Air turboprops across the country.
ARROW was founded in 2009 and has quickly developed into a significant provider of business aviation services, including sales, charters and operation management. The company serves its customers from its headquarters in New Dehli, as well as offices in Mumbai, Kolkata and Sharjah in the UAE.
“We are pleased to announce ARROW as our exclusive sales representative for India,” said Richard Emery, Beechcraft president, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific. “In terms of growth potential, India represents one of the most exciting countries for business aviation in the world. This is why we are strengthening our presence in the region with this appointment, enabling us to better serve both existing and new customers.”
Beechcraft’s King Air models are particularly popular in India as a result of their durability, reliability, fuel efficiency and ability to operate in even the most extreme conditions. These qualities have led to the King Air having a market-leading share of 81 percent of the Indian business turboprop market, with 69 aircraft. Furthermore, Beechcraft delivered 21 turboprops to the region between 2008 and 2012, making India the second largest purchaser of King Airs in Asia Pacific throughout this timeframe, only behind Australia (34 aircraft).
Beechcraft’s King Air line of twin-engine turboprops began production in 1964 and is the best-selling business aircraft family in the world. To date, the company has delivered more than 7,000 King Airs to operators in 127 countries around the globe, and the worldwide fleet recently topped 60 million flight hours.
“The Beechcraft King Air is a popular aircraft in India and leads the market share in the business turboprop segment,” said Samir Gupta, ARROW director and partner. “ARROW, with its positioning at the heart of the Indian aviation industry, is ideally poised to enhance the King Air’s already strong position in India, and we are very excited about working with Beechcraft.”
The two companies will be kicking off their new partnership with a King Air 250 regional demonstrator tour this month. Sanjeev Choudhary, ARROW senior vice president, Business Development, says, “We will be showcasing this superb aircraft to our customers as we fly it throughout India from Sept 16-23. This will really bring to life the capabilities of the King Air and underline why it is well suited to the Indian market.”