Ventura County officials are gauging the business community’s interest in a regular flight from San Jose to the Oxnard airport, which lost its only commercial air service in June.

The county is surveying businesses in Ventura, Oxnard and Camarillo. The hoped-for service would fly twice daily.

Business support will be crucial to securing a U.S. Department of Transportation grant that would make the route possible, officials said. Businesses and the public would also need to put up $250,000 to pre-purchase tickets on San Jose flights, in a scenario known as a “ticket bank.” The money would be refunded if the flights don’t happen.

After Oxnard lost its connection to Los Angeles in June, Ventura County made a pitch to several airlines and destinations, said Todd McNamee, director of airports for the county. “The one that stuck to the wall was San Jose with Horizon Air,” he said.

Business and civic leaders on the South Coast are also trying to get a San Jose route off the ground, after SkyWest cancelled its service between Santa Barbara and San Jose.

For more on this story, see Friday’s print edition of the Business Times.