MAM
Emirates in-flight entertainment voted best in the world
MUMBAI: Emirates Airline has won the coveted World’s Best Airline In-flight Entertainment award 2005 in the latest World Airline Awards, announced recently by Skytrax Research of London.
The award was based on the annual Airline In-flight Entertainment (IFE) Survey conducted by Skytrax between June 2004 and May 2005 that included more than one million survey responses from over 85 different nationalities.
The IFE poll was part of the world’s largest airline passenger survey, received a grand total of more than 12 million responses. Emirates was also declared first in the ‘Best Airlines – Middle East’ and ‘Best Regional Airline – Middle East and Africa’ categories. It stood second in ‘Best Economy Class (intercontinental)’ and received the ‘Airline of the Year Bronze Award’.
The IFE survey measured each airline’s in-flight entertainment on different aspects of passenger satisfaction – overall quality; selection of movies including choice of languages; video and audio programmes, games and other interactive options; and the quality of headsets.
Commenting on the results, Skytrax director marketing Peter Miller, said, “The whole concept of in-flight entertainment has changed so dramatically in the last ten years, and the relative importance of In-flight Entertainment to passengers continues to grow. Choice is paramount, and in the past couple of years it has become more focussed on giving the customer control.”
“We congratulate Emirates on winning the 2005 Best Airline In-flight Entertainment Award, particularly in the heat of stiff competition from several other major airlines. This sector of an airline’s product is now reflective of a dedication to providing customers the very best quality travel experience, and Emirates continues to set new benchmarks for the industry to match,” he added.
Emirates vice president passenger communications and visual services Patrick Brannelly said, “We are extremely gratified by this award as it is an affirmation of what we have always strived for – to offer the best IFE in the business. We would like to thank Skytrax and our passengers, who not only enjoyed our in-flight entertainment but also went the extra mile to vote for us.”
“Ever since Emirates was the first airline in the world to offer a personal TV in all three classes – way back in 1992, it has been committed to offering the very best movies, TV and audio programmes and games. Today, Emirates typical investment in in-flight entertainment systems equates to nearly $10 million per aircraft,” he added.
Emirates continues to enhance the in-flight entertainment offering, as it does in every aspect of its operations. In December 2003, Emirates was the first airline in the world to broadcast live BBC news headlines to its fleet of aircraft – with regular updates transmitted during the flight. Wi-Fi connectivity on the Airbus A340-500 was launched in May 2004, allowing passengers with Wi-Fi equipped laptops to check their email during the flight.
The latest in-flight entertainment system, called ‘Ice’ (Information, Communications and Entertainment) features over 500 channels of entertainment all controllable by the passenger on-demand. Having met with very positive passenger reaction, ‘Ice’ is already installed on over 20 per cent of the fleet, and will be extended to all future aircraft.
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
