Enterprenuer
Irakli Litanishvili co-founded Mirai Flights, a UK-based tech company that allows instant bookings of private jets.
It offers transparent pricing and customized apps.
The company was launched in February 2021 and has since made more than 3,8 million euros, added 24 planes to its system, and partnered with eight companies.
Mirai Flights is committed to making business aviation accessible, sustainable, and affordable.
They recently revealed their sustainability strategy, including empty-leg flying, carbon offset projects, etc.
The Mirai saved more than 200 tonnes of carbon last year.
Mirai Flights sees no limits and has more excellent plans to attract new customers.
Irakli and Evgeny Chuprov (his co-founder) bring more than 30 years of industry experience to help realize the service’s full potential.
What is the story of Mirai Flights’?
As a business aviation professional, I knew that digital solutions were needed in the industry.
We observed several projects trying to implement this solution, and we saw that potential users were downloading their apps.
I wasn’t the one inventing anything. I was following the trends.
This trend shows that the luxury sector is the last to digitize.
It is challenging to digitize aviation in a service format.
Many factors must be considered. First, you need to have a solid understanding of the industry.
This is done by professionals who have worked in aviation for many decades and know the inside workings of the industry.
The second is payment systems that allow you to pay quickly and efficiently for your service.
Client service is also required, and that requires support after the sale.
After seeing this type of service in the US, I had an idea.
However, I realized that many mistakes would make it impossible to achieve my goal.
Evgeny Chuprov, my cofounder, and I initially discussed the idea to use our aircraft and create an app to service our fleet.
We changed our minds after the pandemic-related lockdowns in Europe and around the globe were implemented.
We realized that buying only three to four planes would not get the project off its feet and meet the demand for private jet travel.
We removed all information about our fleet and restructured the entire market into one application.
All airlines had the opportunity to access the app and connect directly with the consumer through the channel. This can be B2C or B2B.
We didn’t invent the wheel. We just considered the mistakes of our colleagues and restructured “the wheel” to the form we have today.
How do you stay productive?
I get up every morning, have breakfast, and then go to the gym.
Three times per week, I train at 9 a.m. At 10:30, I’m already at work and have all meetings regarding my group of companies, Aim of Emperor.
Each company has its specific time block, and I spend that time working on company issues.
There may also be strategy sessions and meetings with clients. Evenings are for family.
How do you bring ideas to life?
PacMan is an old computer game where the Sun moves around eating fruit.
Any project, any startup, is, for me, a game.
It’s like you make a path for yourself, and then you have to follow it.
This path can become complicated. When you hit a brick wall, you can turn around and continue.
That’s how we all form our companies. I know exactly what I want as a result.
However, to claim that I have a clear vision with steps A-B, C, and D is false.
Even though there is a general strategy, the path is constantly changing. It’s like a living organism.
Mirai Flights is something I fully understand.
I would like to see it in a position where it can go public in five years.
We can bring together the global jet industry and make it common ground.
It’s fragmented at the moment. Our app’s primary goal is to get it all together.
This is particularly true for the aircraft leasing service.
Consolidating it will benefit the brokers and operators, and the end-users.
What’s your favorite trend?
Airbnb, Booking.com, and other products are something I am watching closely.
These are the most extensive systems for booking accommodations, and they have made the leap from offline to online.
The market forces are different, but it doesn’t mean that they aren’t comparable to the ones offered by Uber and Booking.com.
What habits make you productive?
I’m uncommonly met. The market for airline tickets could be restructured to compete with Uber and Booking.com.culous.
One could even call me fussy. This quality can be valuable in a work environment, as you notice the little details that make up the overall picture.
Some people draw with large strokes but see the whole picture.
Contrary to popular belief, I take the small pieces from the overall picture so that clients feel at ease at all stages.
Also, I never believe it is possible to say something that is not possible.
What is one thing we can all agree on?
Although I try not to be a contrarian, I am an adventurer by default.
Adventurers understand that there is no impossible or hopeless situation.
You can only reach your goal by expanding your horizons.
If I were not adventurous, I wouldn’t have started a company today.
Sometimes, you need to take risks. For entrepreneurs, the most significant threat believes in their business.
You will succeed if you believe in the work you do.
It’s not easy to say, “It’s difficult, I don’t understand, I must weigh everything.”
Sometimes I start a story and make decisions as I go.
If you find people who disagree with your goals sounding unrealistic or impossible, it is essential to spread enthusiasm among your team members and partners.
This will show that you aren’t just believers in these concepts but live them daily.
If you genuinely believe in your preaching and put your money where it’s the mouth, you will achieve the desired results.
These lamps used to have wax inside. The wax slowly melted under the heat and floated in the light.
Any business or project, I believe, is a material that is constantly in flux due to changes in temperature, heat, market trends, and other factors.
Anyone involved in business must have the ability to adapt to current realities and this flexibility.
You’re better off not trying to change, readjust or adjust if you don’t anticipate any events.
What’s your advice for the Noob?
I truly appreciate the past and present. I also believe in the future.
So I would advise you to keep it the same.
What’s your rich strategy?
It is simple: I do only what I know. It is just that I repackage it.
I approach an existing project that is part of my company group.
I never buy unfamiliar businesses. This is the golden rule.
You have to be familiar with the entire process.
Although I receive many offers to invest in the same or similar field as aviation, I refuse to go in because I don’t know enough.
It is essential to be passionate about what I do.
I can get excited about something and see the value in it. This inspires others around me.
A business partner once told me that you have this habit.
The new project you are working on is like a baby.
You give your all to it, but you also leave the other children in the care of my business partners.
Based on your DNA, you know how to raise a child.
How do you overcome Failure?
After I finished my studies in England, a new idea for a delivery company came to me.
My step-in is the first. It was amazing to see the bank card and PIN in England. In different envelopes.
I knew a lot of banks in Georgia, so I went to each bank and gave a presentation.
I explained that we were creating company X to take the hassle out of delivering bank cards to customers.
This was a popular idea, and we signed up five or six banks.
Each bank issued approximately 5,000 cards per month, and each card cost $1.
The volume of orders began to drop. Also, advertising mails, bills, and other mailings were all added.
It was then that I realized it was time to expand the project and add SIM cards from mobile operators.
We needed to scale up, but we didn’t have enough people, so we had to remove them from other projects and dedicate our time to this delivery service.
That was unrealistic at the time. It’s essential to give your all to a project.
Georgia was a small market to me, and I wanted to travel to Europe to make bridges between Europe, the ex-Soviet, and other countries.
I realized I couldn’t grow and be a significant player in a small market with a low check and small market volume.
My second failure happened while I was working in a large company.
The company was placed in receivership, and it eventually went bankrupt.
Although I didn’t control the process, I lost the trust and confidence of my clients.
They were wealthy people who trusted me and gave me their assets.
It was a dream that I believed in so strongly that I brought everyone to it.
It was then that it all clicked. I went to them and found 15 people.
I told them that I would pay them back the money.
I didn’t know where this money would come from.
I was earning 60 000 pounds per year, so six-seven million euros seemed a lot to me.
They asked me how I would pay them back. I replied that I had brought you to this company, and it has since collapsed.
These things happen. It’s a business. It would help if you believed me again.
I’m coming with you. I will build my system, my airline, and my management company.
And I’ll close your deficit today within one year.” Ten of those 15 people believed in me.
That was, for me, a failure because I didn’t have any influence over the process.
However, in the end, the story ended up being a success.
Today, I do only things that I can influence.
It’s not possible to control your business if you aren’t the one making the decisions.
Can you share a business idea?
One idea is what I would like to see implemented. Mirai Flights allows you to book a plane right now.
It would be absurd to say that you can book drones to fly people tomorrow through this app.
But, this is one service that could be added later, and we are in discussions with drone developers.
I am also researching the infrastructure issue for small aircraft and drones.
Many solutions are already available, including mobile stations that can receive small aircraft, helicopters, and drones.
These little hubs can be placed anywhere in the world.
You can transport people and cargo in difficult-to-reach areas.
I believe these projects will be seen in Singapore and the UAE within the next few years.
What’s your recent best buy?
I give money to charity foundations. Because I don’t keep track of my money, it is not something I should boast about.
There are indeed people who do it, and they help. I am also happy to donate money to street musicians.
Walking the streets in winter is my favorite thing. It was cold when I was out walking one day.
A frail older woman was playing the violin. It was magical: it was snowing, and she played the violin.
Her music was physically warming. To make sure she felt warm, I gave $100 to her.
What are your favorite Softwares or Apps?
Many platforms allow us to communicate today.
Trello is Trello for the management team or people involved in aviation projects.
Leon is the aviation software that we use. Salesforce is also used for sales.
Which book would you recommend?
Dan Kennedy’s “Hard Management” was a favorite of mine.
It was a book I reread often and then put into practice.
It was also recommended to my entire team.
What’s your favorite quote?
Georgians have a funny saying: “It would make me happy to live well if it wasn’t so costly.”
I must do something for people. I will not be Mendeleev and Hawking.
Hawking once said, “Look at the stars, but not under your feet.” Be curious.
“No matter how difficult life may be, there is always a cause where you can excel.”
I must do something that will last after my death.
TL;DR by Irakli Litanishvili
It would help if you scaled up to grow your business.
I need to do things that will make a difference in the world, people, and industry.
I also believe it is essential to contribute to the development of services and products around the globe.
However, it is critical to remember that projects must be financially viable.
Time is a precious resource. While some people may do things to have fun, this approach is not suitable for me.
