Forbes India 2026  ·  India Today Honouree 2026

Prof. Dr. Sanjay Kumarh.c.

Professor & Chair Head, Aviation Management — Graphic Era (Deemed to be University)

"No runway? No problem." — a way of working, not just a book title.

36+ Years in Aviation Former ED & Offg. CMD (as assigned) — Pawan Hans Ltd. Co-Founder & CEO — AviateIQ Tech LLP
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Years in Aviation & Mobility
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Helicopters Procured
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National Firsts Pioneered
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YouTube Subscribers
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Countries Reached
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Books Authored
01 — Profile

A career spent making the impossible routine.

Prof. Dr. Sanjay Kumar h.c. has spent 36+ years at the leading edge of Indian mobility — first in the automobile industry, then across nearly three decades in civil aviation at Pawan Hans Ltd., where he rose to Executive Director & Officiating Chairman & Managing Director (as assigned) under the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

He pioneered India's first integrated heliport at Rohini, launched the country's first seaplane services in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, and built helicopter pilgrimage connectivity to Kedarnath, Vaishno Devi and Amarnath Ji — carrying lakhs of devotees to shrines the road could never reach.

Today, in his academic "second innings," he serves as Professor & Chair Head of Aviation Management at Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Dehradun — mentoring the next generation while authoring research on Advanced Air Mobility and the digital future of flight. He is also Co-Founder & CEO of AviateIQ Tech LLP, an aviation-technology startup.

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Prof. Dr. Sanjay Kumar h.c.
From a one-room school to shaping India's skies.
36+
Years shaping
Indian aviation
02 — The Arc

From taxiway to cruise altitude.

2025

Executive Director & Offg. CMD (as assigned)

Pawan Hans Ltd. · Ministry of Civil Aviation

Rose to the apex of the organisation — and served as MoCA-appointed Nodal Person for launching B.Sc. Aeronautical Engineering degrees at the University of Mumbai and Jamia Millia Islamia. Co-founded AviateIQ Tech LLP as an MSME aviation-tech startup.

2024

Professor & Chair Head, Aviation Management

Graphic Era (Deemed to be University), Dehradun

Began the academic second innings — building MBA & BBA Aviation curricula, mentoring future aviation leaders, and authoring research on Advanced Air Mobility and aviation digital twins.

1996–2024

Three Decades in Civil Aviation

Pawan Hans Ltd.

Pioneered India's first integrated heliport (Rohini), first seaplane services (Andaman & Nicobar), pilgrimage connectivity to Kedarnath, Vaishno Devi & Amarnath Ji, UDAN regional connectivity, and procurement of 26+ helicopters.

1988–1996

The Automobile Years

Mahindra & Mahindra · Willard India

Began a 36-year mobility career on the ground — building the commercial and operational instincts that would later transform India's skies.

03 — Leadership in Action

What strategic aviation leadership looks like.

🚁

Infrastructure Pioneer

India's first integrated heliport at Rohini and a national network of helipads — turning rotary-wing aviation into everyday public infrastructure.

🛩️

First-of-its-Kind Operations

India's first seaplane services and Himalayan pilgrimage connectivity — unlocking access where conventional runways were never viable.

🌐

National Connectivity

Driving UDAN's expansion into new sectors across multiple States — with heliport development underway in five States — bringing affordable air access to India's underserved regions.

🎓

Academic Architect

Nodal person for launching B.Sc. Aeronautical Engineering degrees at the University of Mumbai and Jamia Millia Islamia — and today building aviation talent at Graphic Era University.

🛰️

Future-of-Flight Research

Original frameworks in Advanced Air Mobility, autonomous heliport digital twins, and vertiport networks for 2040 and beyond.

🤝

Industry Builder

Co-Founder & CEO of AviateIQ Tech LLP — bringing sustainable infrastructure, drones, and last-mile aerial connectivity to market.

04 — Recognition

Honoured across the industry & the press.

🏆

Forbes India

2026

Featured among "2026's Iconic Inspiring Success Stories."

📰

India Today Honouree

2026

Recognised as "Aviation's Trailblazing Force."

🎖️

EFI Pioneer Award

2026

Aviation Education & Curriculum Innovation — Brand to Wealth Summit, New Delhi.

WoW Talks Star Speaker

2026

Honoured before ambassadors and dignitaries from 21 nations.

🥇

Best Aviation Company of India

9th India MICE Awards

National recognition for excellence in aviation.

🇮🇳

UDAN Recognition

Ministry of Civil Aviation

Honoured among India's aviation leadership for regional connectivity.

Also holds honorary doctorates — DBA h.c. & D.Litt. h.c. — and is an IICA Certified Independent Director.

05 — The Author

Lessons from a life in aviation — in print.

Sanjay Kumar
No Runway?
No Problem.
Leadership Memoir

No Runway? No Problem.

31 leadership lessons drawn from a life of solving the unsolvable in Indian aviation — turning constraints into runways.

Sanjay Kumar
Coffee,
Contracts &
Courtesy
Business Etiquette

Coffee, Contracts & Courtesy

41 lessons in the etiquette of business and leadership — unveiled by actor Padmini Kolhapure at the Brand to Wealth Summit 2026.

06 — In the Press

On the cover, in the conversation.

Magazine cover
Aviation Update — Cover Feature, April 2026
Feature page
Featured Editorial Spread
UDAN recognition
UDAN Recognition — MoCA
Book launch
Book Launch — A Leadership Memoir
08 — Aviation in Motion

See the work, in full motion.

Awards & Book Launch 2026

Recognition · Brand to Wealth Summit

On National Television

Aviation leadership in conversation

UDAN Connectivity

Regional air access in action

AviateIQ Tech LLP

The future of aerial connectivity

Heli-Tourism & Connectivity

Reaching the unreachable

Aviation in Action

20K+ subscribers · 247K+ views · 10K+ likes — across 30+ countries, fresh insight every week.

Subscribe on YouTube →
09 — The Future of Flight

Charting what comes next.

Original research frameworks in Advanced Air Mobility — under peer review, with preprints on SSRN.

AHDTCAO

AI-Orchestrated Autonomous Heliport Digital Twins — accepted to AI4GreenWorld 2026 (Springer/AIP).

HeliNet-AI

Intelligent heliport network optimisation for resilient regional connectivity.

VertiNet 2040

A blueprint for India's vertiport networks and the urban air-mobility decade ahead.

UAM-ERI

An economic-readiness index for Urban Air Mobility adoption across emerging markets.

HO-GEM

A governance-and-economics model for heliport operations at national scale.

Digital Twins

Bridging simulation and operations for the next generation of aviation infrastructure.

10 — Connect

Let's shape what's next, together.

For speaking, advisory, academic collaboration, or media — I'd love to hear from you.

Prof. Dr. Sanjay Kumar h.c.
Professor & Chair Head, Aviation Management, Graphic Era (Deemed to be University)
Prev.: Co-Founder & CEO, AviateIQ Tech LLP  ·  Prev.: ED & Offg. CMD (as assigned), Pawan Hans Ltd., Ministry of Civil Aviation
Forbes India 2026  ·  India Today Honouree 2026