MAM
Kingfisher Airlines introduces the King Mobile service
BANGALORE: Kingfisher Airlines has launched an SMS service, King Mobile to update guests on latest flight schedules. The service enables a guest to get the latest flight information on their cell phone on schedules, flight status and guest assistance numbers in various cities and flight schedule alerts instantly.
All a guest needs to do is type “King” and send a SMS to 6388 to get the entire menu and details on how to avail each of these services. Kingfisher Airlines has a plan to cover all guest touch points so that latest and updated information of all its flights is easily available to every guest 24X7, states an official release.
Kingfisher Airlines Ltd general manager marketing Girish Shah says, “The service comes in at a very appropriate time as, in the months of December and January; the northern and eastern regions of the Indian subcontinent are subject to a very high degree of fog which hampers visibility and movement. The same has an adverse effect on all aircraft movement in these regions, which in turn has a spill over effect on airline schedules across India. Hence it is imperative for all airlines to derive an effective communication plan to minimize any instances of guest inconvenience. King Mobile service is a very effective tool to cater to guest needs at such times.”
Constant innovations and consumer benefit schemes are an integral part of Kingfisher Airlines’ strategy. The ‘Power Flyer’, a consumer incentive offer which was recently launched, is targeted at the corporate traveler who likes to maximize his time and usually returns on the same day. Under this offer all a guest has to do is take a same-day return flight between Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi or Kolkata with Kingfisher Airlines and he can carry home Rs.1000 in cash! Straight, simple and no questions asked.
The airline currently operates 56 flights daily connecting 13 key Indian cities. It is also the first Indian carrier to have placed an order for five Airbus super jumbo A380s along with five A350s and five A330s. The deliveries of A330s are expected to begin in 2007 while the A380s and A350s arrive in 2010 and 2012 respectively, the release adds.
MAM
Beacon Group appoints Dr Rajesh Patel as Group CEO
36-year healthcare veteran to lead Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek, Biogeny.
MUMBAI: A new chief, a fresh diagnosis and a sharper prescription for growth. Beacon Group has appointed Dr Rajesh Patel as its Group Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2026, signalling a decisive push to scale its presence in the diagnostics and IVD space. Patel steps into the role with 36 years of experience across the healthcare and diagnostics industry, bringing a career shaped by leadership roles spanning sales, marketing, business development and operational strategy. His mandate is both expansive and precise: to steer the group’s overall strategic direction while tightening coordination across its three core entities Beacon Diagnostics, Vector Biotek and Biogeny Diagnostics.
In practical terms, that means driving cross-company synergies, accelerating market expansion and strengthening organisational capability areas increasingly critical as diagnostic players compete for scale in a fragmented yet rapidly evolving healthcare ecosystem. The group is positioning itself to capture unmet demand across chain laboratories, key accounts and standalone labs, segments that remain underserved despite growing diagnostic needs.
The appointment comes at a time when the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) sector in India is entering a more competitive and innovation-led phase, with companies focusing not just on product pipelines but also on service delivery, integration and customer-centric models. Beacon’s leadership appears to be betting that Patel’s execution-focused approach can help translate ambition into operational momentum.
Welcoming the appointment, Chairman Dr D K Joshi described Patel’s induction as a strategic move aligned with the group’s long-term vision, emphasising the role of leadership depth in navigating the next phase of growth.
For Beacon Group, the message is clear, in a sector where precision matters, leadership is the new differentiator—and this appointment is intended to set the tone for what comes next.
