MAM
Air Deccan inks pact with HPCL
BANGALORE: Air Deccan announced a tie up with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) to sell Air Deccan Air Tickets at HPCL petrol pumps.
HPCL Retail executive director S P Choudhary said that Air Ticketing was another product that HPCL was introducing as a part of the bouquet of product and services HPCL offer to customers at petrol bunks. The bulk of the customers at petrol refueling stations were the middle class, the very segment that Air Deccan wanted to tap.
“We want to ensure that the middle class has access to Internet in the country in our delivery system, our customers must have more options for ticketing sources, we’re expanding our network to connect the interior parts of the country and want to make tickets easily available, we are simplifying the purchase process of Air Deccan tickets,” said Air Deccan MD G R Gopinath.
This association will help integrate small cities with large metros in the country and provide a base of around 250 million middle class customers. The cash earned by petrol pumps could also be rolled over due to the sale of tickets. It is a win-win situation for both Air Deccan and HPCL.
HPCL staff have been trained by Air Deccan for new ticket distribution, which will initially be channelised through 10 select petrol pumps in Bangalore and could involve a network of the 2000 Club HP petrol pumps across the country within a yeas time. HP expects to upgrade another 1000 petrol pumps to Club HP and these too could be brought in the loop to sell Air Tickets.
Brands
Wipro hires 7,500 freshers, withholds FY27 hiring outlook
Profit rises to Rs 3,522 crore, Rs 15,000 crore buyback announced.
MUMBAI- Hiring may be on, but visibility is off, Wipro is adding talent even as it pauses the crystal ball. The company hired 7,500 freshers in FY26 but stopped short of offering any hiring outlook for FY27, underscoring the uncertainty gripping the IT services sector as it pivots towards an AI-led operating model.
The disclosure came alongside its fourth-quarter earnings, where management flagged volatile demand conditions and refrained from committing to future workforce expansion. Chief human resources officer Saurabh Govil noted that over 3,000 of the total hires were onboarded in the March quarter alone, signalling continued intake despite a lack of clarity on deployment pipelines.
This divergence active hiring without forward guidance reflects a broader industry pattern where talent acquisition continues even as deal conversions remain uneven and client spending cycles stretch. Wipro expects its IT services revenue for the June quarter to range between a decline of 2 per cent and flat growth sequentially in constant currency terms, reinforcing near-term caution.
Chief executive officer Srini Pallia pointed to artificial intelligence as both a disruptor and an opportunity. He said evolving client priorities are pushing the company towards outcome-driven engagements, with Wipro increasingly focusing on a services-as-software model through its AI Native Business and Platforms unit. The shift marks a structural change from traditional headcount-led growth to AI-enabled delivery frameworks.
The company has already committed over $1 billion to its AI ecosystem, with investors closely watching how these investments translate into revenue. For now, the numbers present a mixed picture. Net profit rose sequentially to Rs 3,522 crore, while revenue grew 3 per cent to Rs 24,236 crore. However, core IT services performance remained under pressure, with full-year revenue declining 0.3 per cent in dollar terms and 1.6 per cent in constant currency.
Large deal bookings offered a counterpoint, rising 45.4 per cent year-on-year to $7.8 billion, highlighting a widening gap between deal wins and actual revenue realisation. On a quarterly basis, IT services revenue slipped 1.2 per cent sequentially, signalling continued softness in execution.
Margins, however, told a more optimistic story. Operating margins expanded to 17.3 per cent in the fourth quarter, up from 14.8 per cent in the previous quarter, reflecting improved cost discipline. That said, the company cautioned that upcoming wage hikes and the ramp-up of large deals could exert pressure going forward.
Attrition stood at 13.8 per cent in the March quarter, indicating stabilisation after periods of elevated churn. Alongside its earnings, Wipro also announced a Rs 15,000 crore share buyback, reinforcing its focus on shareholder returns, with a payout ratio of 88 per cent over the past three years.
Taken together, the numbers capture a company in transition investing in AI, maintaining hiring momentum, but navigating a demand environment where growth is uneven and visibility remains limited.
