Ventura AirConnect

Last updated
Ventura AirConnect
Logo of Ventura AirConnect.png
Founded2010
Commenced operations7 September 2011
Operating bases Surat Airport
Fleet size2
Destinations7
Parent company Diamond Aeronautics
Headquarters Surat, Gujarat, India
Key peopleManubhai Sojitra, CEO
Website www.flyairconnect.com

Ventura AirConnect is an Indian nonscheduled airline operating flights in the state of Gujarat with Cessna 208 Caravan aircraft in its fleet. Initially operating flights within Madhya Pradesh, the airline shifted to Gujarat upon being acquired by a group of Gujarati diamond merchants in 2014. The airline underwent a change in ownership and had to suspend operations in 2015. After winning a contract from the Government of Gujarat to start flights in the state, Ventura AirConnect resumed operations in June 2016 and made Surat Airport its operating hub.

Contents

History

Madhya Pradesh operations (2010–13)

Ventura AirConnect was founded in 2010 as the first intrastate non-scheduled airline in India, providing air charter services within Madhya Pradesh. The airline was designed to connect the capital Bhopal with smaller cities throughout the state, as well as to facilitate tourism within Madhya Pradesh. [1] [2] [3] Under an agreement signed between the state government and the airline, the state government partly subsidized Ventura AirConnect's flights. [1] [2]

Ventura AirConnect conducted its inaugural flight on 7 September 2011, between Bhopal and Gwalior. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. [2] [3] By mid-2013, Ventura AirConnect was serving nine cities in the state. [4] In early 2017 the Madhya Pradesh operations were taken up by Fly Divine. [5]

Gujarat operations (2014–present)

In late 2014, Ventura AirConnect was acquired by Diamond Aeronautics, a consortium of Gujarati diamond merchants, for approximately ₹20 crore (US$2.5 million). [6] Diamond Aeronautics had complained of limited air service from Surat, a major centre of the local diamond industry. [6] With the purchase, the focus of Ventura AirConnect turned to improve air connectivity within Gujarat. [7] The new venture commenced operations on 13 December 2014 with a flight from Surat to Bhavnagar. [8] [9]

The airline suspended operations in late 2015. There was a change in ownership, requiring security clearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). [10] In April 2016, Ventura AirConnect won a tender from the Government of Gujarat to operate subsidised flights within the state. [11] [12] The airline's air operator's certificate was renewed on 9 June and it resumed operations on 25 June with a flight from Surat to Bhavnagar. [13] [14]

Destinations

As of September 2017, Ventura AirConnect flies to the following destinations, all within the Indian state of Gujarat:

CityAirportNotesRef.
Ahmedabad Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport —
Amreli Amreli Airport —
Bhavnagar Bhavnagar Airport —
Rajkot Rajkot Airport —
Surat Surat Airport Hub

Fleet

As of January2023, Ventura AirConnect operates the following aircraft: [15]

Ventura AirConnect fleet
AircraftIn serviceOrdersPassengersNotes
Cessna 208 Caravan 29
Total2

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surat</span> City in Gujarat, India

Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means face in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is now the commercial and economic center in South Gujarat, and one of the largest urban areas of western India. It has well-established diamond and textile industry, and is a major supply centre for apparels and accessories. About 90% of the world's diamonds supply are cut and polished in the city. It is the second largest city in Gujarat after Ahmedabad and the eighth largest city by population and ninth largest urban agglomeration in India. It is the administrative capital of the Surat district. The city is located 284 kilometres (176 mi) south of the state capital, Gandhinagar; 265 kilometres (165 mi) south of Ahmedabad; and 289 kilometres (180 mi) north of Mumbai. The city centre is located on the Tapti River, close to Arabian Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhavnagar</span> Metropolitan City/Urban agglomeration in Gujarat, India

Bhavnagar is a city in the Bhavnagar district of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, a state of India. It was founded in 1723 by Bhavsinhji Takhtasinhji Gohil (1703–1764). It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, which was a princely state before it was merged into the Indian Union in 1948. It is now the administrative headquarters of the Bhavnagar district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bagdogra Airport</span> Airport in Siliguri, West Bengal, India

Bagdogra Airport is a customs airport located in the western part of Siliguri, in Bagdogra in northern West Bengal, India. It is operated as a civil enclave at AFS Bagdogra of the Indian Air Force. It is the gateway airport to the hill stations of Darjeeling, Gangtok, Kurseong, Kalimpong, Mirik and other parts of the North Bengal region. As a major transport hub in the region, the airport sees thousands of tourists annually. The Government of India conferred limited international airport status to the airport in 2002 with limited international operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deccan Charters</span> Indian aviation company

Deccan Charters is an aviation company based in Bengaluru, India that operates helicopter and fixed-wing charter services. Its main base is HAL Bangalore International Airport. Deccan Technical Services, the maintenance unit of Deccan Charters, maintains helicopters on behalf of 50 Indian corporates such as Reliance Industries and Essar Group. Their Mumbai centre is the authorised customer service centre to support Sikorsky S-76 helicopters. In March 2017, the firm bagged 21 regional air routes under the Indian Government's regional connectivity scheme, UDAN.

{{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = Captain | name = G. R. | image = Captain GR Gopinath - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg|Biopic movie Surari potru | alt = | caption = G. R. Gopinath, left, 2010 | birth_name = | birth_date = 13 November 1951 | birth_place = [[Gorur, Hassan|Gorur], [karnataka State] At present Karnataka State. India | death_date = | death_place = | nationality = Indian | allegiance =  India | rank = Captain

Mahuva is a town and taluka of Bhavnagar District, in the state of Gujarat, India. Located on the coast of the Arabian Sea, Mahuva is known for its mild weather and green, lush surroundings, including many coconut tree plantations. The town is a part of the Saurashtra region and is known as the Kashmir of Saurashtra. Mahuva is also known for wooden toys, raw onions, groundnuts, and a local variety of mango called the Jamadar. The region is home to a thriving agribusiness industry, particularly enterprises that dehydrate vegetables such as garlic and onions for use in processed foods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belgaum Airport</span> Airport in Belgaum, Karnataka, India

Belgaum Airport, also known as Belagavi Airport, is a domestic airport serving Belgaum, Karnataka. The current integrated terminal building was inaugurated by then Minister of Civil Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju on 14 September 2017. Near the airport, there is an Indian Air Force station, at which new recruits receive basic training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surat Airport</span> Customs airport in Surat, India

Surat Airport is a customs airport serving Surat and Southern Gujarat. It is located in Magdalla, situated 12 km from the city centre. It has a total area of 770 acres, and is the second busiest airport in Gujarat after Ahmedabad, in terms of both aircraft movements and passenger traffic. It was awarded the status of a customs airport on 9 June 2018. It is also home to a flying training school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vayudoot</span> Defunct regional airline in India

Vayudoot was a regional airline in India established on 20 January 1981 as a joint-venture between the two state-owned carriers, Indian Airlines and Air India. The airline was headquartered at New Delhi's Safdarjung Airport. The airline was originally conceived to serve the Northeastern region of India. The regional hub for the Northeast Region was Calcutta (Kolkata), and the airline built up operations to close to 30 destinations in this challenging area. Many of the airfields saw the resumption civil flights and fixed-wing aircraft after a gap of many decades.

Air Services of India was a private airline based at Juhu Aerodrome in Mumbai, in India. The airline was merged into the Indian Airlines Corporation in 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Costa</span> Defunct Indian regional airline

Air Costa was an Indian regional airline headquartered in Vijayawada and based out of Chennai International Airport. It was owned by Indian business company LEPL Group. The airline commenced operations as a regional airline in October 2013 using two Embraer E-170 aircraft, with the first flight taking off from Chennai on 16 October 2013. The airline received a permit for pan-India operations in October 2016. The airline focused on connectivity between tier II and tier III cities in the country, and invested ₹600 crore (US$75 million) as of 2015. Air Costa operated 32 daily flights to nine destinations from its focus cities Chennai and Vijayawada as of 2015. The airline had a maintenance center in Chennai. On 28 February 2017, it suspended operations until further notice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gujarat Airways</span> Defunct Indian airline

Gujarat Airways was a private airline headquartered in Vadodara, India that operated from 1995 to 2001. It operated a fleet Beech 1900 aircraft on feeder routes in West and South India. The company slogan was Wings of Comfort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Carnival</span> Defunct Indian regional airline based in Coimbatore

Air Carnival was an Indian regional airline based at Coimbatore International Airport with a hub at Chennai International Airport. Air Carnival was promoted by the Coimbatore Marine College (CMC) Group. It was founded in 2013 as a charter airline but transitioned to scheduled operations within South India, which were launched in July 2016.

Diamond Research and Mercantile City, also known as DREAM City, is an upcoming business district in Surat, India. It will be built on 2,000 acres (810 ha) of land near Khajod, along the lines of the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City and Dholera Smart city near Ahmedabad. Expected to open in 2030, it will be Gujarat's third smart city.

Air Pegasus was an Indian regional airline headquartered in Bangalore and based at Kempegowda International Airport. The airline was a subsidiary of Decor Aviation, an aircraft ground-handling services company. It commenced operations on 12 April 2015 with its inaugural flight between Bangalore and Hubli. The airline suspended operations on 27 July 2016, facing financial difficulties. At that time, Air Pegasus was serving eight airports across South India with a hub at Kempegowda International Airport in Bangalore, using a fleet of three ATR 72-500 aircraft. Their flying licence was suspended by DGCA on 22 November 2016. Managing director Shyson Thomas stated in late 2017 that Air Pegasus would return to the skies in early 2018, as the company had formed a relationship with Dawn Aviation and was about to settle all of its debts. Several cases have been filed against Air Pegasus chairman Shyson Thomas, Shyna Thomas and son Ashwin Thomas who was managing director. Till date no debts have been cleared and Air Pegasus office has been vacated from its MG road address.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviation in India</span> Article on Indian air transport

Aviation in India, broadly divided into military and civil aviation, is the fastest-growing aviation market in the world according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The hub of the nation's aviation manufacturing industry is at Bangalore which has a 65% share of this economic sector since 1924. The government's UDAN is driving the growth of civil aviation and aviation infrastructure in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civil aviation in India</span>

Civil aviation in India, the world's third-largest civil aviation market as of 2020, traces its origin back to 1911, when the first commercial civil aviation flight took off from a polo ground in Allahabad carrying mail across the Yamuna river to Naini.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Airlines</span> Regional airline of Rajasthan, India

Supreme Airlines was the first regional low cost COMMUTER airline of India, with bases in Jaipur and Ahmedabad. It operated 18 daily flights between 11 cities under an agreement with the State Govt of Rajasthan. Between 4th October 2016 and 7th August 2018, Supreme Airlines hauled 20,625 passengers in 4167 flights, with 2000+ tones of cargo. Supreme Airlines has sued the Ministry of Civil Aviation, D.G.C.A. and Airports Authority of India for Rs. 40+ Crores.

Ghodawat Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. doing business as Star Air, is an Indian commuter airline based at Kempegowda International Airport in Bangalore, Karnataka. It started operations in January 2019, offering flights within Karnataka state as well as to neighboring Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, as part of the Central Government's UDAN scheme. The airline makes use of Embraer 145 LRs for its services.

References

  1. 1 2 "Ventura Airconnect Launches Intrastate GA Flights in India". AIN Online. 2 February 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Bari, Pervez (3 September 2011). "MP becomes first state to offer air taxi services". Ummid.com. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  3. 1 2 "Flying High! India's First Intra-State Air Service launched by MPT" (PDF). "From the Heart" by the Madhya Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation Ltd.: 2. 1 October 2011. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  4. ↑ Poovanna, Sharan and Saha, Samiran (16 June 2013). "Civil aviation sings a 'short is sweet' song". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "Air India: Intra-state air taxis to fly in MP again - Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 2016-10-07. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  6. 1 2 Vora, Rutam (14 July 2015). "Like a diamond in the sky". The Hindu Business Line. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  7. ↑ "Diamond clique acquires India's Ventura AirConnect". Ch-aviation. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  8. ↑ "India's Ventura AirConnect begins Gujarat taxi service flights". Ch-aviation. 17 December 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  9. ↑ Melvyn, Thomas (13 December 2014). "Inter-city flight services launched from Surat". Times of India. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "Ventura Air Connect Surat operations". Surat Airport Information. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2016.
  11. ↑ "India's Ventura AirConnect secures Gujarat gvt contract". ch-aviation. 2 May 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  12. ↑ "Surat's Ventura bags contract for intra-state flights". The Times of India . 29 April 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  13. ↑ Vora, Rutam (9 June 2016). "Surat-based Ventura AirConnect gets DGCA nod to fly". The Hindu Business Line . Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  14. ↑ "Ventura Airconnect resumes intra-state flight from Surat and ordered more than 500 Airbus A320neo for more than 400 billion dollars and is now the largest operator of A320neo and A321neo and A330 for long haul routes in future". The Hindu Business Line . 25 June 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  15. ↑ "Ventura Air connects Surat with Kandla". Business Standard . 12 August 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.