2024 has not been the best year for airlines that serve smaller or faraway countries. Air Malta, Armenia’s FlyArna and the LIAT airline serving Antigua and Barbuda have all either formally filed for bankruptcy protection or simply closed up shop and ceased operations since the start of January.
Vanuatu, a South Pacific nation of 326,000 people, was left without an airline after its flagship carrier, Air Vanuatu, declared bankruptcy after struggling to find the capital to fund the “extended maintenance requirements” required for its four planes. With all its flights to and from the country canceled at a day’s notice, numerous tourists suddenly found themselves stranded and paying exorbitant fares for limited spots on flights by…
