Air Deccan was an Indian regional airline operating from Ahmedabad, Gujarat. It flew to a total of four destinations using Beech 1900D aircraft, as of November 2019. On 5 April 2020, the airline ceased operations due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdown.[4]
History
Air Deccan was launched by Capt. G.R. Gopinath, the pioneer of low-cost aviation in India, in 2003. In 2007, the airline began incurring losses and was subsequently acquired by Kingfisher Airlines in 2008. The airline was rebranded first as Simplifly Deccan, then as Kingfisher Red. Kingfisher Airlines itself experienced financial difficulties and accumulated significant losses between 2011 and 2012, eventually shutting down due to bankruptcy.[5]
Despite the rebranding, Gopinath retained ownership of the Air Deccan name and registered the trademark shortly after the acquisition. Meanwhile, the Deccan brand continued to be utilized by Gopinath's air-charter and aircraft maintenance company, Deccan Charters, which had been founded in 1997.[6]