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by Rajen Kumar

No Escaping Social Media

Running a magazine concentrating on issues of small and medium enterprises and managing with limited resources is a like living life on the edge. In this rush of meeting deadlines,...

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Apr 2012

EMRC, Brussels Associates with SME WORLD as its New Media Partner

EMRC has promoted business partnerships with the developing world and has organised dozens of business forums in key decision-making cities, such as Amsterdam, Rome,...

Government Schemes

Wings of desire

SME WORLD Bureau
Feb 2011

The year 2000 saw a young mechanical engineer leave his cushy corporate job in pursuit of his passion for travel and launch Wings Travels—a name that has become a cornerstone for car rental service providers operating in India and catering services to national and international clients. Riding on the India's BPO revolution, Arun Kharat decided to start his own travel agency—Wings Travels—that elevated his precedence to all new heights. At the dawn of the millennium, Kharat delved upon the idea of providing transportation solutions to call centres for their employees. What started with humble resources and one cab is today one of Pune's largest cab vendors with BPOs across Maharashtra.

“The idea behind the foundation of Wings Travels was basically love and passion for travel. The idea was conceived when I was working with multinationals. At that time we thought that the travel market was unstructured, small and offered huge potential. In the year 2000 in Mumbai, when BPOs started mushrooming in Mindspace, Malad, we started with just one car and we worked in Mumbai for 3-4 years and moved to Pune in 2003,” says Kharat.

Today, Wings Travels has come long way with presence all across Maharashtra serving various multinationals. Unfazed by recession, the company has registered a huge growth and is poised to scale greater heights in the near future. “Past two years have been very good for us. In fact, we have been doubling our turnover with each passing year,” Kharat mentions. Today, the company boasts of more than 400 workers who work relentlessly to provide a unique and satisfactory customer experience. The company offers a wide range of travel services and has become a one stop shop for all travel needs.

Bouquet of Services

“We offer a bouquet of services wherein once a customer comes to our office we ensure that all services are made available to him,” Kharat says. The company offers passport services, railway ticketing facilities including the Tatkal reservation. The company has operations in Hyderabad and plans to go pan India in future.

What sets the company apart is its focus on being a good corporate citizen by using eco friendly fuels in all its cars. Also, the company organises training camps and promotes better driving skills across the country. “We do joint activities with the police and RTO. We also conduct road safety programmes, road safety weeks and seminars. A dedicated team of professional trainers impart training in defensive driving, soft skills and controlling road rage and this is open for all,” informs Kharat.

The company with its growing stature and revenue decided to look into other travel related avenues and has carved a niche in hospitality industry and medical tourism. Their Wings Wellness division caters to high end travellers and their spas offer a gamut of services like massages, facials and hydrotherapy. “Medical tourism in India has huge potential and we are committed to provide five star treatments to foreign nationals at a cheaper cost,” says Kharat. What also worked wonders for Wings Travels has been its alignment with IndiaMART.com. “We have benefited immensely from IndiaMART.com that has helped us in garnering more customers and increasing our reach,” mentions Kharat.

In a short span, Wings Travels has come a long way and has become a giant in the travel industry and commands respect from its competitors and customers. With a resolute determination to provide world class travel services, Kharat's modest dream has turned into a success story.

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