Avanti Air

Avanti Air (named after the Italian word for ahead) started operations on 1 July 1994. It was founded by former pilots Markus Baumann (now managing director) and Stefan Kissinger (now chief executive) as an aircraft management company. It entered the charter market in 1996 with two Raytheon Beech 1900C aircraft.

As of 2007, the company was owned by Gerhard Mahler (33,33%), Markus Baumann (33,33%) and Stefan Kissinger (33,33%) and had 73 employees.

In autumn 2014, Avanti Air introduced the Fokker 100 to its charter fleet alongside a new corporate design. In November 2015, the airline phased out their last ATR72 aircraft in favour of a second Fokker 100 and therefore becoming an all-jet operator. However, in October 2021 the airline exchanged their Fokker 100s for a sole De Havilland Canada Dash 8.

Since February 2026, the airline has been operating flights for Air Uniqon, a virtual airline founded in 2025 and based in Rüthnick. These flights connect Friedrichshafen Airport to Berlin Brandenburg Airport, Düsseldorf Airport, and Hamburg Airport.

Operations

Avanti Air offers charter and wetlease operations on long- and short-term basis to other airlines and tour operators as well as ad hoc charter services, e. g. for VIPs.

Fleet

As of July 2026, Avanti Air operates the following aircraft:

Former fleet

As of August 2025, Avanti Air operated 2 De Havilland Caanada DHC-8-Q400

Accidents and incidents

On 19 February 1999 on 21:48 local time, an Avanti Air Beechcraft 1900D on a ferry flight from Düsseldorf to Frankfurt without any passengers on board was substantially damaged when the two pilots attempted to land at Frankfurt Airport even though the landing gear was accidentally still retracted.