AVGEEK
Reading India’s fleet and profitability risks through data
Courtney Miller explains how visualisation and forecasting inform airline decisions, examining aircraft orders, utilisation, load factors and yields against India’s growing demand and profitability challenges.
The conversation
Episode 54
What happens when a pilot, an airline operator, and a strategist decide to reimagine aviation through the lens of data? In this episode, I sit down with Courtney Miller, the mind behind Visual Approach Analytics, to explore how storytelling, visualisation, and forecasting are reshaping the way airlines make decisions.
What we discussed:
• Courtney’s journey into aviation: from the cockpit to Bombardier and DHL, and eventually into analytics. • Why he believes the industry was “oddly slow” to recognize the value of aviation analytics. • Lessons from DHL’s cargo forecasting (yes, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day were the most stressful!) and how they differ from passenger airline planning. • The art of turning complex aviation data into accessible intelligence. • Fleet planning quirks: Allegiant’s unique approach, Akasa’s Boeing delivery challenges, SpiceJet’s survival instincts, and what Indian carriers like Air India and IndiGo should be doing differently. • The profitability puzzle: India’s booming demand versus chronic losses—what data signals separate hype from traction. • Are Indian airlines over-ordering? Courtney breaks down the metrics that reveal overcapacity, underutilization, and systemic risk. • India’s ambition to be a global hub: should carriers double down on regional connectivity, long-haul expansion, or partnerships? • Air India’s post-privatization struggles and what it could learn from South Korea’s model of global talent and best practices. • Disruptive shifts in aviation—from AI and machine learning to evolving fleet strategies—and what’s hype versus reality. • The next frontier for aviation analytics, misunderstood metrics like load factors and yields, and Courtney’s favorite airline innovation he’d copy worldwide.
Along the way, expect witty detours (including a Ryanair comparison), sharp insights on pricing (“AI doesn’t always mean personalized pricing”), and a candid look at how data has evolved in aviation decision-making over the past five years.