UK airline goes into liquidation after just three years

AN AIRLINE operating flights in the UK has collapsed into liquidation.

Ascend Airways offers aircraft for other airline carriers, with previous carriers including Oman Air, Air Sierra Leone and Tui Airways.

The shock meltdown unfolded yesterday after Ascend Airways told crew of the sudden shutdown and immediate loss of operations.

An insider told The Sun: “It’s gone bust today, we got the news this afternoon. We’ve all been given the letters that it’s all going into liquidation.”

Bosses waited to make a public announcement until a flight from Muscat landed safely back at Stansted Airport (YD187).

A company email blamed a storm of economic pressure, soaring UK costs and a lack of contracts for the collapse.

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“It’s to do with the economy, we couldn’t get contracts, the UK is a lot more expensive than Europe,” the insider said. “The fuel situation had a massive effect on it as well.”

Behind the scenes, workers had feared the worst for months amid unpaid bills and mounting financial strain.

Hopes were pinned on securing a crucial IOSA licence in March to unlock global routes, but the bid ended in failure.

Desperate talks to save the company collapsed when potential partners refused to take enough aircraft to keep it afloat.

The insider claimed: “It’s 40 per cent cheaper to use airlines in Europe than the UK because taxes are too high.”

“We’re not going to get paid for May and we have to go through the liquidators.

“You could get up to £750 a week but we’re not going to get the full amount we’re owed.”

The collapse comes despite recent recruitment, leaving staff furious and confused. The insider said: “We were quite surprised they took on more crew, I think they were banking on getting the IOSA.”

But the final blow came when the airline reportedly failed to pay its leasing company, triggering a rapid downfall. “When we heard they hadn’t paid, we knew it was downhill fast,” the insider admitted.

Initially launching at Synergy Aviation in 2004, it became Ascend Airways in 2023 with a fleet made up of one Boeing 737-800 and six Boeing 737 MAX 8.