G. R. Gopinath Net Worth: Founder of Air Deccan

The legendary G. R. Gopinath is undeniably the most popular Indian businessman who is known as the founder of Air Deccan, you know, the first ever low-cost airline in India. Just so you know, he started his journey in life as a soldier in the army and his transition to aviation is one of such experiences handed down by Gopinath as a “test of character and vision” for mankind. And for those who are particularly interested in the net worth or financial numbers, well, as of 2022, his approximate wealth is $5 million. Movies like the Tamil film Soorarai Pottru and the soon to be released Bollywood movie Sarfira starring Akshay Kumar have made G.R. Gopinath’s life story is even more popular in the country, so, let’s have a quick look at it. Shall we?

Early Life and Education

Gopinath was born on November 13, 1951, in Gorur, Karnataka, and yes, he came from a modest background. Initially, his father was a proponent of home-schooling but Gopinath eventually became a part of the local school. Like you may already know, each and every beginner English speaker has a rough start, but he was accepted into the prestigious Sainik School, Bijapur. He then continued his education at the National Defence Academy (NDA) and later graduated from the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun. And that’s exactly where his life took a turn, and he went for something he never thought would become this big of a thing.

Military Career

Later on though, at the young age of just 20 Gopinath joined the Indian Army as an officer and also played a part in the war of liberation of Bangladesh in the year 1971. And yes, the next eight years saw him climb the ranks to Captain. Even though he achieved well in the army you may say that in the life of a person, there come certain times when you assess the situation and opt for a new phase and Gopinath was to be one of those, thus, he decided to leave the army at the age of 28 believing that his future was not with the armed forces of the nation, you know?

Transition to Entrepreneurship

You see, when Gopinath returned from military service the first thing he did was farming. During this time, he utilized his creative farming methods and he was able to win the Rolex Laureate Award which is a very reputable prize, just so you know. He also ran a small hotel in Karnataka in a short time. Nonetheless, his journey into the world of entrepreneurship started in 1997 when he took the initiative to launch the Deccan Aviation helicopter charter service with his partners, this somehow was his entrance into the aviation industry.

Founding Air Deccan (2003)

Things went on pretty regular and basic for quite a while, but then Gopinath was the one who launched Air Deccan in the year 2003, it was the first airline that offered low fares in India. His ideas were based on the templates laid down by Air Southwest of the USA and Ryanair of Europe, you know? The simple objective was to provide air travel to all of the people. Air Deccan made air traveling available for small cities as well, and so it has changed the whole face of the aviation industry in India, where flying was once a luxury.

Challenges and Merger with Kingfisher

Even though Air Deccan had an impressive start, it was not long before financial strains started to surface due to rising competition, and that was kind of a huge issue. In 2007, Air Deccan fell under UB Group which was owned by Vijay Mallya who acquired 26% of it, and later merged with Kingfisher Airlines. Later on, by 2009, Gopinath transferred a major part of his shares to others and thus he distanced himself from Air Deccan.