Having navigated various leadership roles across industries, Manoj Chacko founded his “air transport company, Fly91” at the age of 52.
And as part of the Fomento Lecture Series of Goa Business School at Goa University, the aviation industry veteran, on Thursday, candidly discussed his career trajectory, challenges faced, and the core values that have influenced his entrepreneurial pursuits.
Chacko’s career path evolved through diverse professional experiences. Departing from a stable corporate career, he aimed to introduce innovation within the aviation sector. While Goa was not initially part of his business strategy, he ultimately returned to Ribandar, the village where he grew up, and has now set up operations at Kadamba Plateau.
Reflecting on his early years, Chacko recounted his initial uncertainty about career choices. He humourously shared that his decision to pursue management studies was partly influenced by a craving for home-cooked fish curry. Despite this seemingly incidental motivation, his education at Goa University, he said, provided a strong foundation for his professional growth. During his lecture, Chacko emphasised four key values that he considers essential to professional and personal success:
1. Safety: As a leader in the aviation industry, he underscored the critical importance of safety. “You can’t cross a river if you’re unsure whether the bridge will hold,” he stated, reinforcing the necessity of rigorous safety measures.
2. Simplicity: Chacko advised students to prioritise fundamental principles and avoid unnecessary complexities. He argued that maintaining a “brutally simple” approach often leads to the most effective solutions.
3. Integrity: Highlighting the significance of ethical behaviour, he equated integrity to stopping at a red light even when no one is watching. “Doing the right thing when no one is looking is the true test of integrity,” he said.
4. Humility: Despite his professional accomplishments, Chacko emphasised the importance of staying grounded. “No matter how high you rise, staying humble is what truly defines a great leader,” he stated.
A key highlight of Chacko’s lecture was his discussion on innovation in aviation. He questioned the necessity of the traditional airline check-in process, a practice that has remained unchanged for 70 years. “In a world where everything is digital, why should passengers waste time on an unnecessary check-in process?” he asked. Identifying inefficiencies often accepted due to long-standing conventions, his company became the first in the world to eliminate the check-in process entirely. This initiative allows passengers to proceed directly to security, reducing wait times and benefits the company by improving operational efficiency.
Chacko’s talk was an interactive one, with him addressing many of the students’ queries and doubts on how he managed to reach where he is. “Recording data regularly is a very important practice for effective decision making” he highlighted in a response to how he identifies gaps and introduces new ideas. He concluded his session with a message: “Never be afraid to try anything—even a bumblebee, according to the laws of aerodynamics, shouldn’t be able to fly, but it does.”
