Star Air is an Indian regional airline based in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It is operated by Sanjay Ghodawat Aviation, a venture of the Sanjay Ghodawat Group, a diversified business house headquartered in Maharashtra. The airline focusses on connecting tier-II and tier-III cities in India, often using routes encouraged under the Government of India's regional connectivity scheme, UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik).
Key facts
| Type | Regional airline |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Headquarters | Bengaluru, Karnataka |
| Parent | Sanjay Ghodawat Aviation (Sanjay Ghodawat Group) |
| Primary hub | Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru |
| Sector | Civil aviation |
Background
The Sanjay Ghodawat Group, founded by industrialist Sanjay Ghodawat, has interests across consumer goods, energy, textiles, education and aviation. Star Air was established as the group's commercial passenger aviation arm to serve under-served regional markets in India, an area that had seen renewed policy attention through UDAN, launched by the Ministry of Civil Aviation in 2016 to make air travel affordable on shorter routes.
Operations
Star Air operates scheduled passenger services largely between regional airports in southern, western and central India, with Bengaluru functioning as its principal base. The carrier has progressively added cities such as Hubballi, Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Tirupati, Indore, Surat, Nashik, Ajmer (Kishangarh) and Jamnagar to its network, with the route map evolving over time.
The fleet has been built around regional jet aircraft suited to short-haul sectors, primarily Embraer ERJ family jets, which allow the airline to serve airports with shorter runways and lower passenger volumes that are typically not viable for larger narrow-body aircraft.
Significance
As a regional operator, Star Air contributes to the expansion of direct air connectivity between smaller Indian cities, reducing dependence on hub-and-spoke routings via metropolitan airports. Its growth illustrates the role played by private regional carriers in implementing the goals of the regional connectivity scheme and in improving access to commercial aviation in non-metro India.
Related topics
- UDAN (Regional Connectivity Scheme)
- Civil aviation in India
- Kempegowda International Airport
- Sanjay Ghodawat Group
- List of airlines of India
- Directorate General of Civil Aviation
References
- Wikidata: Q48731008
- Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India — Regional Connectivity Scheme (UDAN) documentation.