Deccan Charters
Indian aviation company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Deccan Charters is an aviation company based in Bengaluru, India that operates helicopter and fixed-wing charter services. Its main base is at Jakkur Airfield.[4] Deccan Technical Services, the maintenance unit of Deccan Charters, maintains helicopters on behalf of 50 Indian corporates such as Reliance Industries and Essar Group.[5] Their Mumbai centre is the authorised customer service centre to support Sikorsky S-76 helicopters.[6]
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| Founded | 1997 | ||||||
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| Hubs |
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| Fleet size | 5[2] | ||||||
| Parent company | Deccan Charters Pvt Ltd | ||||||
| Headquarters | Bengaluru, India | ||||||
| Key people | Captain G. R. Gopinath (Managing Director)[3] | ||||||
| Website | deccanair | ||||||
History
The company started operations on 3 December 1997.[4] as Deccan Aviation. It established Simplifly Deccan (formerly named Air Deccan), a low-cost airline in March 2003. In July 2004, Deccan Aviation partnered with the Favourite Group of Sri Lanka to launch a helicopter charter company called Deccan Aviation Lanka. In early 2007, the company started fixed-wing charter operations. Deccan Charters exited from the company in November 2011, after selling their 48% stake to Singapore-based Millennium Aero which renamed the company as Millennium Airlines. [7] In February 2012, Deccan Charters partnered with Taj Air, Bjets and other partners under the Powerfly brand to provide an air charter membership program through which customers can access Jets, Turbo Props and Helicopters.[8] Deccan Charters Ltd. initiated non-scheduled chartered services in Gujarat under the brand name of Deccan Shuttles in August 2012. This service connected Ahmedabad, Surat, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Kandla.[9] In April 2013, Deccan announced its decision to suspend all Gujarat operations citing poor patronage.[10] In August 2014, Deccan Charters partnered with Luan Airways for providing medical evacuation services in North-East India.[11]
Air Deccan
In March 2017, the firm was awarded 21 regional air routes under the Indian Government's regional connectivity scheme, UDAN.[12] Deccan Charters decided to use the popular Air Deccan brand to launch these services[13] that will connect emerging towns across Indian states of Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura at affordable prices with 19-seater Beechcraft 1900D turboprop aircraft.[14]
Air Deccan received the scheduled commuter operator (SCO) permit from regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on 22 December 2017 and the first flight, DN 1320, took off for Jalgaon Airport, from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) the following afternoon. In the first phase of operations, Air Deccan planned to connect to Jalgaon, Nashik and Kolhapur Airport from Mumbai and Pune Airport.[15] However, it could not operate a large number of the RCS routes awarded to it due to the company's weak financials. Scheduled commercial operations were stopped in April 2020 due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing lockdown.[16]
Fleet
As of 2026, the Deccan Charters fleet includes a variety of owned and managed fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters for private charter and specialized aerial services. The company also maintains a significant footprint in aircraft maintenance, managing over 50 aircraft for Indian corporate clients.[17][18]
| Aircraft | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed-wing fleet | ||
| Cessna Citation CJ2 | 1 | Operated for light jet charters.[17] |
| Hawker 900XP | 1 | Mid-size business jet based in Chennai.[17] |
| Pilatus PC-12 | 2 | Used for regional and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) services.[19] |
| Beechcraft King Air | 1 | King Air B200 model.[18] |
| Helicopter fleet | ||
| Airbus AS350 B3 | 1 | Single-engine; used for high-altitude tourism and surveys.[17] |
| Airbus AS355F | 1 | Twin-engine helicopter based at Jakkur Airfield.[17] |
| Bell 429 GlobalRanger | 1 | Multi-role twin-engine helicopter.[17] |
| Bell 206L-4 LongRanger | 1 | Based in Pune for sightseeing and aerial photography.[17] |
| HAL Dhruv | — | In January 2026, Deccan Charters signed a pact with HAL to promote and maintain the Dhruv NG for civil operations.[20] |
| Total | 8 | |
Destinations
As of 2026, Deccan Charters operates as a non-scheduled aviation service provider. It does not fly fixed commercial routes; instead, it provides on-demand charters, heli-tourism, and offshore services from several key operational bases across India.[21][22]
Operational Bases
The company maintains engineering and operational facilities at the following locations:
- Bengaluru – Main base at Jakkur Airfield
- Bhubaneswar – Biju Patnaik International Airport
- Chennai – Chennai International Airport
- Hyderabad – Begumpet Airport
- Kolkata – Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport
- Mumbai – Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport
- New Delhi – Indira Gandhi International Airport
- Pune – Pune Airport
- Surat – Surat Airport (Focus on offshore helicopter services)
Seasonal & Charter Services
The company continues to provide specialized shuttle and tourism services in the following regions:
- Uttarakhand: Helicopter shuttles for the Char dham Yatra, primarily serving Kedarnath and Badrinath. In 2026, the company continues to manage the Govind Ghat helipad under a lease valid until 2027.[23]
- Jammu and Kashmir: Seasonal helicopter services for the Amarnath Yatra and Vaishno Devi pilgrims.
- Gujarat: Logistics and offshore support for energy sectors from Surat.
