GULFSTREAM APPOINTS INDEPENDENT SALES REPRESENTATIVE IN INDIA

Arrow Aircraft Sales Has Offices In New Delhi, Kolkata And Mumbai

SAVANNAH, Ga., February 8, 2011 - Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. recently appointed Arrow Aircraft Sales and Charters Private Limited, a professional business-aviation service provider, as an authorized independent sales representative for aircraft transactions in India.

The company will work closely with Gulfstream’s Jason Akovenko, regional vice president, Asia-Pacific, and Roger Sperry, regional senior vice president, International Sales, who will continue to oversee sales in the country.

"Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Latin America represent more than 40 percent of Gulfstream’s backlog," Sperry said. "So we need to ensure we have the infrastructure in place to support this growing sales trend. In a region as vast as Asia-Pacific, it’s vital to have in-country sales support whenever a question might arise. Because they have offices in New Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai, Arrow Aircraft Sales will be able to provide that face-to-face contact as well as a great deal of expertise gleaned from its founders’ many years of aviation experience." 

Arrow Aircraft Sales and Charters Private Limited was established in 2009. The company provides a multitude of services to clients, including aircraft acquisitions, sales, charters and management.

Its senior management consists of Samir Gupta, chairman and partner; Rohit Kapur, managing director and partner; and Shailendra Pratap Singh, executive director and partner. The trio offers a broad range of aviation experience.

Gupta began his career in 1994 with aviation and rail companies before starting his own business in 2000. Over the next decade, Gupta established a number of aviation businesses, including Arrow Aviation Pvt. Ltd. and Arrow Aviation Services FZE UAE. He then invested in Arrow Aircraft Sales and Charters Pvt. Ltd. and Sampan Aviation Pvt. Ltd.

Kapur spent more than 20 years as a helicopter pilot in the Indian army and is credited with establishing several aviation companies before he spearheaded the establishment of Punj Lloyd Aviation in 2007 and functioned as its chief executive officer until its merger with Air Works India, the Gulfstream authorized warranty line service center based in Mumbai. Kapur, who has previous experience selling Gulfstream aircraft, will be directly responsible for promoting the sale of Gulfstream products in India. Until recently, he was the CEO of Indocopters Pvt. Ltd., the sole distributer and maintenance center for Europcopters in India.

Singh has more than 18 years of experience in the civil-aviation industry. A qualified aircraft maintenance engineer, he has worked at Punj Lloyd Aviation, Indo Pacific Aviation and Air Works in various capacities. He is the founding director of Arrow Aircraft Sales and Charters Pvt. Ltd.

"Working with a company as esteemed as Gulfstream is a tremendous opportunity for Arrow Aircraft," said Kapur. "We’re excited to be working with Gulfstream’s Asia-Pacific sales team, especially at this point in the company’s history, with the G250 and the G650 poised to enter the market in 2011 and 2012, respectively."

 

NOTE TO EDITORS

Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation designs, develops, manufactures, markets, services and supports the world’s most technologically advanced business-jet aircraft. Gulfstream has produced some 1,900 aircraft for customers around the world since 1958. To meet the diverse transportation needs of the future, Gulfstream offers a comprehensive fleet of aircraft, comprising the wide-cabin, high-speed Gulfstream G150®; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G200®; the new large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G250®; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G350®; the large-cabin, long-range G450®; the large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G500®; the large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G550® and the ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range G650®. Gulfstream also offers aircraft ownership services via Gulfstream Pre-Owned Aircraft Sales®. The company employs more than 10,000 people at 10 major locations. We invite you to visit our website for more information and photos of Gulfstream aircraft at www.gulfstream.com.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Va., employs approximately 90,000 people worldwide.  The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies.  More information about General Dynamics is available online at www.gd.com.