First Indian to buy Rs 100 crore Airbus helicopter, it’s not Mukesh Ambani, Gautam Adani, Ratan Tata, Gautam Singhania

Indian billionaire B. Ravi Pillai, who lives in Dubai, UAE, is the first Indian person to own an Airbus Helicopter worth Rs 100 crore. Ravi Pillai hails from Kollam in Kerala. Ravi Pillai, 68, father was a farmer and he had faced a lot of hardships while growing up.

Ravi Pillai is the CEO of RP Group of Companies and he grabbed headlines in June 2022 after acquiring an Airbus H145 helicopter for Rs 100 crore. The helicopter can accommodate two pilots and seven passengers. The state-of-the-art helicopter is capable of launching and landing from a height of 20,000 feet above sea level.

The helicopter comes fitted with energy-absorbing seats that increase the safety quotient for the passengers. Ravi Pillai prefers to maintain a low-profile and is known for his charity works.

Born on September 2, 1953, Ravi Pillai completed his post-graduation in business administration from Kochi University. Ravi Pillai once borrowed Rs 1 lakh from a person to launch his own business and returned the money after his firm made money. Ravi Pillai saved the profits and then launched his construction business.

In 1978, Ravi Pillai went to Saudi Arabia and started his construction business in the oil rich Gulf nation. He named his construction company, Nasser S. Al Hajri Corporation (NSH).

Ravi Pillai was once in news for the wedding of his daughter which witnessed the attendance of 30,000 guests from 42 nations, including CEOs of many companies. The wedding was also attended by the members of Middle Eastern royal families. Ravi Pillai was bestowed Padma Shri by the Indian government in 2010 and the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman in 2008. He holds a doctorate in philosophy from Excelsior College in New York.