Airlines that stopped flying in 2024 (the list is open as of 31/3/24)
This year I’ve waited a bit to open the traditional airline bankruptcy list (if curious, here is the 2023 edition and here the list of airlines that stopped flying in 2022), but as the first names start to trickle in, I started compiling it again.
Please note that this is a manually curated list, often made with tips I get from readers in all corners of the world, so if there is some airline that stopped flying this year, please let me know!
Air Malta
This is an interesting one, not just because it is a historical brand, but also because it is more of a transformation than a proper demise. In fact, Air Malta as an entity is closing down, but its place will be taken by a new company set up by the Maltese government called KM Malta Airlines, which is, basically, Air Malta under a different guise. It is true that the new entity starts not just with a clean balance sheet, but also with a different strategy, so will see how it goes this time!
FlyArna (Armenia)
A joint venture between Air Arabia and a local firm, FlyArna aspired to become the flag carrier of this small nation in the Caucasus, but it looks like it didn’t fulfill the expectations.
Competition from other LCCs such as the local subsidiary of Moldovan carrier FlyOne and Wizz Air as well as from Russian and Middle Eastern airlines, left little space in what is, ultimately, a rather small market. I guess, the state of constant tension in the region (with constant flares ups in the conflict with neighbouring Azerbaijan) hasn’t helped either. Fly Arna operated 3 Airbus A320-family aircraft during its period of maximum activity. All flights were suspended on January 29 and the AOC was withdrawn in March.