Ever wondered what it’s like to run an airline when you’re also its biggest fan? Join us as we talk to Sanjiv Kapoor, the executive who describes himself as an "aviation nut" first and a businessman second.

From "fanboy" moments cold-calling the legends of the industry to navigating the high-stakes days of 9/11 at Northwest Airlines, Sanjiv shares the fascinating stories that built his career.

Expect stories on:

• The Secret Design: How the Vistara retro livery and uniforms were conceived in-house to capture 60s glamour.
• The Legend: Why the Boeing 747 remains the "Queen of the Skies" and the story of its impossible three-year development
• Leadership: Why passion, reliability, and "humanising" the service industry are the true edges in business
• Window or...?: Why you should always keep your window shade open—and the struggle with dimmable windows.

If you enjoyed this episode, do share your feedback with us on planesimplepodcast@gmail.com

India leads the world with the highest percentage of female pilots. But this milestone wasn't reached overnight.

In this episode, we sit down with Capt Nivedita Bhasin, an icon, a pioneer and truly a champion who has been at the forefront of Indian aviation for half a century.

Some firsts associated with Capt Nivedita Bhasin:

• youngest woman pilot in history to command a commercial jet

• first female pilot to command the Boeing 787 Dreamliner

• was the co-pilot on the first all-women crew flight on a Fokker Friendship F-27 in 1985 and the first Boeing all-women crew flight in 1989

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In this episode, Capt Bhasin shares her incredible journey, starting as a determined 15-year-old at the Delhi Gliding Club to retiring as a 787 Dreamliner Captain for Air India.

We dive into:

• 50 years in aviation, from the "raw" days of flying the Fokker Friendship with primitive instruments to delivering India’s second-ever Dreamliner from the Boeing factory

• the challenges of being the first female pilot in India to navigate motherhood and maternity policy

• Fascination with the Boeing 747.. and much more.

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Whether you are an aviation geek or an aspiring pilot, this conversation is a masterclass in persistence and passion.

In this special episode, we celebrate one year since the launch of Plane and Simple.

To mark the occasion, we’ve turned the tables; instead of our usual deep dives, we are joined by guest Hardeep Singh—a lawyer with aviation credentials—who helps us tell our own "reverse story"

In this episode:

• We journey back to our earliest memories, from handwritten tickets and battery-operated 747 toys to first flights on Alliance Air and Jet Airways.

• We also reveal the "origin story" of the podcast itself - how a chance meeting over bag tags led to a partnership between two entrepreneurs obsessed with the "nerdy" side of aviation.

• The Filtered & Unfiltered: Editor Sankalp joins the conversation to discuss his favourite moments from the first year, including the iconic Jet Airways episode.

• The Future of Plane and Simple: First look at the 2026 P&S Calendar and our new contributor status with FlightRadar24.

We’ve moved past saying "safe flights" and embraced "Happy Flying". Tune in to find out why.