Volaire Aviation

What Volaire Aviation does

Volaire Aviation Consulting is a privately held aviation consulting firm founded in 2017 and headquartered in Fishers, Indiana. The firm specializes in air service development for regional and small community airports across North America, helping clients recruit new airline routes, build strategic business cases, and execute marketing campaigns to grow passenger traffic. Its client base spans 110+ airports in the United States and Canada, with documented support for 100+ new route launches since founding.

The firm's service offering is organized into three interconnected lines: Air Service Development (ASD) consulting covering route recruitment, airline schedule analysis, airport cost analysis, and drive diversion/leakage studies; Research & Support services including economic impact forecasting, incentive policy development, corporate travel assessment, and SCASD (Small Community Air Service Development) Grant writing; and Marketing Services spanning strategy, branding, and community development. Underlying these services is a data-driven analytical platform built around proprietary schedule analysis, passenger leakage studies, and economic impact modeling—operated and refined by a 10-person team with 200+ years of combined airline and airport experience, including former executives from American Airlines, Delta, Northwest, Midwest Airlines, and ExpressJet. The firm also hosts the annual Volaire Air Service Forum, an industry event that has grown from a 2017 inaugural session to 135+ attendees and 15 airlines by 2019.

Volaire operates a custom, quote-based professional services model with multi-year consulting engagements targeting airports and the surrounding communities/businesses that fund them. Revenue is generated through project-based fees for strategy, research, grant writing, and marketing work; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The firm is bootstrapped—no external funding rounds or parent-company ownership are indicated—and is led by four Managing Partners (Jack Penning, Tim Sieber, Jeffrey Hayes, Michael Lum), an Executive Director (Kris Nichter), Partner Emeritus Michael Mooney, and additional Directors and Senior Consultants distributed across the US. Distribution is entirely direct via consultative sales to airport authorities and community stakeholders, supplemented by the annual forum and content marketing through the firm's blog and LinkedIn presence.

Name

Volaire Aviation

Legal name

Volaire Aviation Consulting

Website

https://volaireaviation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Volaire Aviation Consulting is a boutique air service development firm founded in 2017 that helps regional and small community airports across North America recruit new airline routes, build business cases, and execute marketing campaigns. It serves 110+ airport clients through custom consulting and hosts an annual Air Service Forum.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aviation Consulting

NAICS

Other Support Activities for Air Transportation (488190), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Airports, Flying Fields & Airport Terminal Services (4581)

akta.pro primary industry

Airline Data, BI & Decision Support (Fare/Demand/Market Intelligence) (THALABAL)

Keywords

• Air service development
• Airport consulting services
• Aviation market analysis
• Route development consulting
• Airport marketing strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Fishers

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Air Service Development Consulting: Professional consulting services for airports to recruit new airline service, develop strategic business plans, and analyze market opportunities. Services include new route development, strategic planning, and airline negotiations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Volaire Aviation provides air service development consulting to airports and communities, helping them recruit new airline routes through strategic planning, data-driven market analysis, business case development, airline negotiations, and marketing support. Its services span core ASD consulting (route development, schedule analysis, drive diversion studies), Research & Support (economic impact analysis, SCASD grant writing, governance studies), and Marketing Services (branding, public relations, community engagement). The firm also hosts the annual Volaire Air Service Forum as an industry networking and education platform.

Product overview

Volaire Aviation is an aviation consulting firm offering a unified suite of air service development services. The core offerings consist of Air Service Development (ASD) consulting, Research & Support services, and Marketing Services—all designed to help airports recruit new airline routes, grow passenger traffic, and strengthen their market positions. The company also hosts the annual Volaire Air Service Forum as an industry platform for collaboration. The three service lines are interconnected: ASD provides the strategic foundation for route development, Research & Support supplies data-driven insights and grant funding support, and Marketing Services handles the promotional and community engagement aspects of air service campaigns.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Air Service Development (ASD) Overview Core consulting service focused on new route development and recruitment for airports, encompassing strategic planning, airline schedule analysis, airport cost analysis, drive diversion/leakage analysis, and airline pricing structure analysis. Intended for airport clients seeking to recruit new airline service.
• Research & Support Comprehensive research services including economic impact analysis, incentive policy development, governance studies, corporate travel assessment, financial support package development, and SCASD Grant support for small community airports. Intended for airports and communities needing data-driven insight and grant funding support.
• Marketing Services Airport marketing and air service marketing services including marketing strategy development, creative development and branding, and community development and public relations support. Intended for airports launching new service and seeking passenger growth campaigns.
• Volaire Air Service Forum Annual industry forum event bringing together airports, airlines, and aviation professionals for networking, collaboration, and knowledge sharing on air service development topics.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% increase in enplanements during tenure at Bismarck Airport
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Will BerchelmanncoreOthers · 24 April 2019Joined Volaire Aviation as Director of Air Service Development in April 2019. Has over 22 years of experience in the industry. Delivered keynote address at the third Volaire Air Service Forum in Tucson, Arizona.
• Myrtle Beach Convention and Visitors BureaucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 March 2018Co-hosted Volaire's second Air Service Forum in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, March 14-16, 2018. Event welcomed 112 attendees, with 42 airports, 12 airlines, and seven sponsors participating.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• WSP (Aviation Practice): Global professional services firm with a significant aviation consulting practice providing airport planning, air service development, and aviation advisory services to airports worldwide.
• Mott MacDonald (Aviation Practice): Global engineering and consulting firm with an aviation practice providing airport planning, air service development, and aviation advisory services - broad incumbent competing in the same airport consulting space.
• ICF Aviation (formerly SH&E): Aviation consulting practice within ICF providing air service development, airport planning, and aviation strategy as part of a broader management consulting portfolio - larger incumbent with overlapping capabilities.

Direct peers

• Landrum & Brown: Aviation planning and consulting firm (now part of ICF) offering air service development, airport master planning, and aviation strategy services - direct competitor in the small-airport consulting space.
• InterVISTAS: Aviation consulting firm providing air service development, airport strategic planning, economic impact analysis, and route development services to airports globally - directly comparable in service mix and customer type.
• Ricondo & Associates: Aviation consulting firm providing airport planning, air service development, financial advisory, and strategic planning services to airports and aviation clients - closely aligned with Volaire's core ASD and research offerings.
• Campbell-Hill Aviation Group: Aviation consulting firm specializing in air service development, route analysis, and airport marketing - directly comparable to Volaire in serving small and mid-size airports with similar consulting offerings and client base.
• LeighFisher: Aviation management consulting firm (now part of Deloitte) that historically provided air service development, airport strategy, and aviation advisory services - comparable service portfolio for airport clients.
• Ailevon Pacific Aviation Consulting: Aviation consulting firm specializing in air service development, route analysis, and airline recruitment for airports - comparable client base and service offerings to Volaire's ASD practice.

Others

• American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE): Industry association for airport executives providing training, certification, and resources - serves as a complementary ecosystem player and credentialing body rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/volaire-aviation
• Facebookfacebook.com/VolaireAviation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Volaire Aviation