Star Air is a scheduled commercial airline with an aim to connect real India. It is promoted by Ghodawat Enterprises, which is the Aviation arm of diversified Sanjay Ghodawat Group. Star Air is the latest offering of the group. An upcoming Airline with a firm proposal to connect the unconnected. The target routes are where passengers are currently suffering a lot of transit layover delays. The airline provides a very reliable, safe and comfortable travel experience with direct connections. Truly the group’s ‘Star in the Air’.

The airline operates under the RCS-UDAN scheme and is quite popular among travellers for its services. Whether it is about on-time departure, on-time arrival, food quality, ticket rates, comfort or safety, Star Air ensures everything quite brilliantly keeping its passengers’ concerns in mind and thus excels at most of the aspects that any traveller looks for. According to many aviation experts, these could be some of the reasons why travellers choose to fly with Star Air and thus have now inspired the airline to make an expansion move.

LAUNCH OF STAR AIR

Beginning the year 2019, Star Air announced receiving the “Air Operator Certificate”, issued by Ministry of Civil Aviation on January 1, 2019. The airline started operating with a fleet of Embraer ERJ145, which is the fastest in the category having 0.8 Mach Flying Speed. A highly successful aircraft around the world, it has a seating capacity of 50 and an average seat pitch of 31 inches. Beginning the year 2019, Star Air launched daily direct flights connecting Bengaluru, Hubballi and Tirupati from January 25, 2019 and added Bengaluru to Belgaum flights in February, 2019. The airline introduced enhanced options like Star Air Comfort and Star Air Flexi for the convenience of the customers at affordable prices.

Based out of Bengaluru (Karnataka), Star Air has a wealth of experience of providing Helicopter Charter services since 2013 and the airline service was the next strategic decision to contribute and to be a part of ever expanding commercial aviation of India. Commenting on the new venture, the Chairman Sanjay Ghodawat said, “We are pleased to announce the launch of our new flights which offer enhanced options and convenience to our customers. Our aircrafts are fast, seats are comfortable and our crew is experienced to provide a ‘Star Experience’. We plan to help the Indian travellers connect to various locations at affordable rates and the best of services. We hope that we will live up to the expectations of our travellers and keep on serving the society through our business venture and customer centric approach.” Simran Singh Tiwana a trusted aide and notable aviation expert was chosen to lead Star Air.

POST COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Union Government had restricted all modes of travel including air travel effective March 2020. Star Air joined hands with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the fight against COVID-19 by regularly airlifting vaccines at zero cost. However, the impact of the nationwide lockdown and the growing demand from passengers for safe travel encouraged the Government to start domestic flight operations. Civil Aviation Ministry gave its green signal for starting domestic flight operations in a calibrated manner and Star Air also declared the commencement of its daily flight operations again from May 25, 2020.

Daily sanitization of aircraft with effective disinfectants, enabling employees to wear PPEs while serving passengers, providing a web check-in facility to reduce physical contact, and many other such measures were implemented by Star Air to maximise its passengers’ safety post COVID-19.

According to aviation experts, travelling in Star Air during these challenging times would be far more comfortable and safer than any other airline. Star Air uses 50-seater Embraer aircraft with an alpha seating arrangement facility. This seating is unique because it has dual features of aisle and window seat. Travelling in this arrangement makes any passenger less exposed to other fellow passengers, due to fewer people density and wider distance amongst passengers inside the aircraft. Its extra legroom space of total 31 inches between the seats is far greater than what most of the established airline giants offer and thus ensure more comfort while maintaining maximum distancing.

SUCCESSFUL OPERATIONS AND DIVERSIFICATION

The airline has been ‘Connecting People to Real India’ for three amazing years, and by accomplishing the intent of fulfilling the common man’s dream of flying, the airline has achieved tremendous success as one of India’s fastest-growing regional airlines. On April 16, 2022, Star Air operated their first direct flight between Belagavi and its 16th station, Nagpur under the regional connectivity scheme UDAN. With a 100 per cent PLF and an all-women’s crew operating the historic inaugural flight between Belagavi and Nagpur, Star Air celebrated this milestone with honour and pride.

Consistently leading the Passenger Load Factor charts, the airline is now a symbol of hassle-free, affordable, and on-time services. Over a short span of time, Star Air has cultivated passenger loyalty that has become synonymous among flyers. As per DGCA statistics, Star Air clocked the highest Passenger Load Factor (PLF) among all Indian airlines at 79.0 per cent followed by registering the second-highest Passenger Load Factor (PLF) thrice in: July 2021 with 70.1 per cent, October 2021 with 80.0 per cent, and December 2021 with 82.3 per cent.

The airline is focussed on ensuring a seamless and personalised flying experience that blends service at an affordable price with their motto of ‘Connecting Real India’, and have excelled at operating primarily in Tier II & III cities with limited airport infrastructure.

Star Air entered into the charter services business to fulfil private air travel requirements. The Group previously has an experience of over six years of running helicopter charter service operations successfully under Ghodawat Enterprises Private Ltd.

The airline, Star Air, with its world-class fleet of five (5) Embraer ERJ145 aircraft (50-seater) and two helicopters – Airbus H130 (6-seater) and Airbus H135 (5-seater), has the capacity to fly anywhere at any point in time.

It holds a valid licence for charter service business and operates as per the protocols defined by the DGCA. The company has a team of experienced pilots, technicians, and staff that assures you get a best-in-class charter service with complete safety and without any hassles.

“We are delighted to expand our airline operations by opening this private charter services. Like our scheduled commercial airline services, we are offering a world-class charter service keeping your comfort, safety, and overall flying experience in mind,” said Sanjay Ghodawat, Chairman, Star Air.

According to the airline, the demand for availing charter services has risen dramatically over the past few months. “This (COVID-19) pandemic has not only limited the modes of transportation for people across India but also forces them to look for safer, convenient, and comfortable travel options. Private charter services are thus seen as the best alternative” Star Air added.

HONOURS AND ACCOLADES

Besides being voted as the airline with the highest average passenger load factor on RCS flights by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Star Air also received the award for Best Domestic Airline (RCS) by Wings India 2022. The award was presented by Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of Civil Aviation, in the presence of esteemed senior officials from the Ministry, FICCI, and industry representatives, in a grand ceremony held in Hyderabad earlier this year.

“Winning the award for the Best Domestic Airline (RCS) by Wing India 2022 marks a remarkable achievement for Star Air. I would like to thank our team for their dedication and effort towards offering a world-class travel experience to our passengers. As we look forward to providing our star flyers seamless and stress-free travels, we would also like to thank Wings India 2022 for the recognition,” said Captain Simran Singh Tiwana, CEO - Star Air. The Rising Star of Indian Skies, Star Air beckons passengers to fly with them for a matchless flight experience.