With a smaller customer base and less of a financial cushion to fall back on during tough times, many smaller regional airlines have had a particularly challenging time staying afloat in the current market.
British regional carriers Eastern Airways and Blue Channels, Swedish carriers Braathens Aviation and H-Bird, and Icelandic low-cost carrier Play Airlines have all collapsed in high-profile shutdowns over the last year.
Over in the U.S., Spirit Airlines is currently in a second bankruptcy while Texas-based charter airline Starflite Aviation recently had its air operator’s certificate (AOC) stripped by regulators after an FAA audit found evidence that the owners falsified the training records of its…