Debayan Sen
Debayan has twenty years’ experience on a range of transportation and aviation assignments across four continents. He is a specialist in strategic and master planning, terminal planning and simulation, capital investment, market and commercial forecasting and operational efficiency/cost.
Debayan is a strategic thinker capable of capturing and organizing complex issues within short time frames as well as developing and implementing plans to improve operational processes and increase organizational efficiency. Debayan’s approach is to offer a personalized and effective approach to address complex planning and strategic challenges. By working closely with aviation businesses to develop customized solutions, he helps them achieve their goals, gain a competitive edge, and drive long-term success.
List of Key Assignments:
- Noida Airport Master Plan, Jewar
- Buy Side Transaction Advisory for Belgrade and a host of Indian PPP airports
- Delhi (IGIA) Master Plan Update
- Bangalore Airport Traffic Forecasting
- Bangalore Terminal 1 Upgrade
- Secondary Transactions Due Diligence for MOPA and Bhogapuram transaction
- Terminal Simulation Assignments at Los Angeles, San Francisco Airport
- Emissions Inventory at Houston Airport System airports
- Cargo Concession Support for Noida airport
- Noise Curfew Study at Burbank Airport
- AAI 42 airports terminal optimsation and simulation
Education
MBA, London Business School
Master of Science, Civil Engineering, Virginia Tech
Bachelor of Engineering, University of Mumbai
Email: debayan@avinia.co
Lekhya Karyampudi
Lekhya is an architect and urban planner with over 13 years of industry expertise. Through her work with leading global airport planning consultancies, she has played key roles in major projects, consistently delivering significant business value to clients.
Passionate about the dynamic, multi-stakeholder environment of airports, Lekhya thrives on the daily opportunities for continuous innovation. Her work reflects a deep understanding of the Indian aviation landscape, with specialization in airport master planning, land use, and terminal design. She brings a unique design perspective to projects and has co-led aviation projects related to strategic planning, vision development, capacity & facility planning, investor technical assistance, and detailed project report preparation.
Lekhya's focus on delivering both short- and long-term solutions, informed by a comprehensive understanding of airport ecosystems, has been instrumental in providing flexibility for downstream planning. Over the past few years, with her previous employer, she has worked on a diverse range of airports, including both large and small facilities.
Some of her key assignments include:
- Preparation of Master Plan for Noida International Airport
- Capacity Enhancement and Concept Design for BLR Terminal 1
- Preparation of Master Plan Update for Bangalore International Airport
- Cargo Concession Support for Noida International Airport
- Buy-side Bid Assistance for Privatisation of Ahmedabad, Lucknow and Jaipur Airports
- Capacity Augmentation Study for Indira Gandhi International Airport
- Terminal design for Gulbarga and Shimoga Airports
Education
PGP in Business Administration (MBA), Indian School of Business
Masters in Urban and Regional Planning, CEPT University, Ahmedabad
Bachelor of Architecture, JNTU, Hyderabad
Email: lekhya@avinia.co
Krishna Murthy
Krishna Murthy is an Aviation strategy and Commercial expert with around 18+ years of experience in aviation strategic consulting, airport strategy, airport commercial, global corporate business growth innovation, Aviation M&A transactions, valuations, project finance and leadership. His tenure in aviation has revolved around conducting due diligence, contract acquisitions, financial modelling, and business negotiations, and he brings excellent technology expertise.
- Responsible for over 40 airports globally with the following task deliveries: Air Traffic Forecasting, Airport Master Plan, CAPEX/OPEX estimation, Preliminary Design (30%) , Business Plan aspects of the commercial process, aero/non-aero commercial revenues, negotiation, to execution, working with internal and external stakeholders, including Finance, Legal, and Partnerships Teams, Airport Strategy/ Investment Committee approvals.
- Conducted activity forecasting for one Atlanta International Airport ; identified issues that generated inefficiencies and made recommendations for improving productivity and operations.
- Worked closely with City of Atlanta - Corporate Strategy team on a $2 billion corporate bond issue backed by airport revenues
- Collaborated with the Atlanta Regional Council to increase transit ridership to the airport.
- Airport Investments: Developed business plans, valuations, project, client and financial acquisitions, negotiations, and collaborated with a wide range of stakeholders on globally.
- Closed over $ 24 Billion dollars in Airport M&A/ PPP/PFI deal globally at close interaction with C-Suite client and its team.
- Lead a team of up to 20 members focusing on cost-efficiency, and sustainable efforts to allow airport operators flexibility to plan and execute projects and programs that met present and future requirements.
- Guided and educated potential investors on the value of airport concessions and liaised with government officials in policy decisions on airport concession procedures.
- National Aviation Systems Plan for Kenya and Thailand : Long-Term Plans (30-year horizon), Airport Cluster Budgets, Airport Operations performance, revenue generation opportunities from aero/non-aero sources etc.
- Senior Advisor on California Inland TradePort project in close coordination with USDOT Build America Bureau staff on infrastructure P3 initiatives including Clean Energy driven Inland Trade Ports for Truck Mobility Charging, Urban Air Mobility Cargo complex etc. Developed a viable business plan in close coordination with multiple stakeholders including LAX Airport, Stockton Airport, etc.
Education
MBA in Strategy, Finance & Big Data Analytics, MIT Sloan, Cambridge, MA
MSc– Transportation Systems & Policy, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
Bachelor of Science – Civil Engineering, Mumbai, India
Email: krishna@avinia.co
Dr. Antonio Trani
Dr. Trani is a Modeling Expert/ Senior Advisor at Avinia. He is a Civil Engineering Professor at Virginia Tech, where he’s worked since 1988. He’s also been the Co-Director of the Federal Aviation Administration National Center of Excellence for Aviation Operations Research (NEXTOR2) since 1996. Dr. Trani is a highly respected educator in transportation and airport engineering and an industry-leading researcher in airport capacity, airfield and airspace operations and modeling, and runway exit design.
He has developed many unique and practical computer models and analytical tools to help in the design and decision-making for air and multimodal transportation systems. For 30 years, Dr. Trani has led a team of VT researchers in developing, maintaining, and updating the Runway Exit Design Interactive Model (REDIM), a computer model used by hundreds of airports worldwide since 1994. Between 2002 and 2006, Dr. Trani led the development of a large-scale, multi-mode transportation system demand model for the NASA Langley Research Center. The Transportation Systems Analysis Model (TSAM) has been used in numerous NASA studies including the impact of very light jets, quantifying the potential demand for high-speed rail services in the United States, and measuring the impact of highly efficient turbofan aircraft operations in the United States to reduce fuel use and environmental impacts. For the past six years, Dr. Trani led the development of a fast-time simulation model to evaluate advanced surveillance technologies and air traffic control concepts of operation in oceanic aircraft operations. The Global Oceanic Model (GO) is a tool used by the FAA to help make investment decisions about advanced surveillance technology.Some of his key assignments and achievements include:
- Aviation Demand Modeling of the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS) Sponsor: NASA Langley Research Center
- National Center of Excellence in Aviation Operations Research. Sponsor: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
- Runway Exit Design for Capacity Improvements. Sponsor: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
- An Integrated Simulation Model to Enhance the Ground Simulation Capabilities of SIMMOD - An Airspace and Airfield Simulation Model. Sponsor: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
- Integrated Multimedia Courseware Repository. Sponsor: National Science Foundation
- Flight Simulations of High-Speed Runway Exits. Sponsor: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and assistance in capex derivation for initial period of concession, preparation of project reports and presentations for client delivery.
- 2023 recipient of the Frank M. Masters Transportation Engineering Award from the ASCE Transportation and Development Institute (T&DI)
Education
B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
M.S. in Systems Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (1986)
Ph.D. in Transportation Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Email: vuela@avinia.co
David Miles
David has over 40 years of experience in planning, development, management and financing of aviation infrastructure and services, working throughout the world with significant experience in developing economies. He was previously founding CEO and Principal of the aviation advisory practice of the Ambidji Group, a renowned global aviation consulting company headquartered in Australia. Following the 2016 acquisition of Ambidji by aviation planning firm Landrum & Brown (L&B)) David carried out a similar role as Associate Vice President in L&B’s Asia Pacific division.
David’s clients have included airport and ATC operators, airlines, government aviation regulatory and policy bodies.
He has also worked extensively for international development finance institutions such as the Asian Development Bank and the International Finance Corporation and bilateral donor agencies, as well as regional bodies such as the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the ASEAN secretariat.
David’s private sector clients include fund managers and other financial investors in the aviation sector.
Samples of the type of work he has undertaken includes:
- Airport Public Private Partnerships: Strategic advice, assistance on transaction design, and technical due diligence on the sell side of airport PPPs/Privatisation in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste. Technical due diligence and planning advice for private sector bidders on the buy side or airport PPPs in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Yugoslavia, and the South Pacific.
- Airline Structuring and Financing: Airline strategy development and financial structuring analysis, provision of technical assistance on airline privatising and sourcing airline finance for a number of airlines in the Asia Pacific region.
- Airport Management – 6 years as capacity building adviser for, and executive management of a Pacific region airport operator. Also carried out management reviews and strategy development for various airports in Australia and the Asia Pacific region. Director of a joint venture airport management company, carrying out operations. management of provincial airports in Australia.
- National Aviation Policy and Strategy – Analytical reviews of national aviation systems in Indonesia, the Philippines, Lao PDR,and several Pacific countries. Much of this has been in support of policy dialogue on reforms to be implemented as part of financing suppled by development finance organisations.
- Airport Master Planning and Business Planning – for many airports in the Asia Pacific region
Education
Master of Commerce (Majoring in Economics and Finance), Deakin University, 2005
Bachelor of Engineering, Monash University, 1975
Fellow, Institution of Engineers Australia
Email: david@avinia.co
Ira Gupta
Ira has over twenty years of experience in multi-modal transport advisory and energy transition including aviation sector. She was based in London for 17 years and worked on some of the first structured Public Private Partnerships globally.She currently splits her time between Delhi and Bangkok focusing on Asia-pacific markets. Her client base includes leading investment firms, asset operators and public entities.
Ira brings a deep knowledge of surface access modes and their interaction with the airport ecosystem. In addition to leading due diligence of airport portfolios, she has worked extensively on electric buses, metro, rail and toll roads.Having worked in both mature and emerging markets, she understands the unique complexities of national and international regulatory environment. Nearly two decades ago, Ira worked on the first airport privatisation in India and continue to advise leading Asian clients.
Ira’s experience with renewable energy and power grids places her in a unique position to advise on decarbonization pathways and new technologies. She is adept at working in complex stakeholder environments, providing succinct advice in often demanding timeframes.
Some key projects include:
- Economic drivers and infrastructure gap mapping for Amritsar, Varanasi, Indore, Raipur, Bhubaneshwar, Trichy airports in India.
- Vendor Due Diligence for Etami and Kansai airports, Japan
- Buy-side techno-commercial due diligence for Orlando Sanford USA, Jamaica International, Stockholm Skavsta and Belfast International UK (Abertis portfolio)
- Lelystad Airport- Business Case review, Netherlands
- Technical Advisor to green fund on e-bus and charging concessions across India
- Stakeholder Consultation, Inputs to State Green Hydrogen Policy, Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (MEDA), India
- Decarbonisation pathways for industrial supply chain in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, European client.
Education
Energy within Environmental Constraints, Certified Course, Harvard, 2023
Financial Management Diploma, Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA), London, UK.
MS Transport Engg, ITS, University of Leeds, UK(DFID Commonwealth Scholarship, JMP Best Student Award)
M Planning, School of Planning & Architecture, Delhi, India (GATE Scholarship)
B Tech Town Planning, School of Planning & Architecture, Delhi, India.
