“Buh-Bye” The Airlines We Lost in 2018

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As 2018 draws to a close we wanted to take a moment and remember the airlines we said “buh-bye” to over the past 12 months.

More than 40 airlines vanished from flight radars around the globe in 2018. Every month of the year saw at least one airline grounded. Some were merged to create stronger airlines, a few were suspended for restructuring, but the majority had their wings clipped forever.

The emerging air market of Myanmar had one of the biggest losses of the year, with four airlines closing their doors.

The most famous airline brand to disappear was Virgin America. The hip American carrier merged with, and took the identity of, Alaska Airlines.

The low-cost, long haul airline model seemed to be the biggest loser of 2018. The sudden collapse of Danish airline, Primera Air, sparked the first sign of trouble for the popular airline model which had seen a boom during the previous years of low oil prices. While Primera’s Scandinavian counterparts, WOW Air and Norwegian, managed to end 2018 still in flight, both airlines spent a good part of the year scrambling to find ways to balance their books and survive into 2019.

Here’s a month by month look at the airlines that said their final “Buh-Bye” to passengers in 2018

January

flyviking airlines Airline: FlyViking

From: Norway

Year Established: 1989 (as Lofotfly)

Fleet Size: 3

Status: Ceased operations

Airline: BackBone Aviation

From: Denmark

Year Established: 2011

Fleet Size: 3

Status: Ceased operations


February

PAWA DominicanaAirline: PAWA Dominicana

From:  Dominican Republic

Year Established: 2003

Fleet Size: 7

Status: Ceased operations

ASL Airlines SwitzerlandAirline: ASL Airlines Switzerland

From: Switzerland

Year Established: 1984

Fleet Size: 13

Status: Ceased operations

Meridiana

Airline: Meridiana

From:  Italy

Year Established: 1963 (as Alisarda)

Fleet Size: 11

Status: Reorganized into a new Air Italy

Ait Italy Airline: Air Italy

From:  Italy

Year Established: 2005

Fleet Size: 12

Status: Reorganized into a new Air Italy


March

great lakes airlines Airline: Great Lakes Airlines

From:  USA

Year Established: 1977

Fleet Size: 28

Status:  Ceased operations 

Latin American WingsAirline: Latin American Wings

From:  Chile

Year Established: 2015

Fleet Size: 5

Status: Suspended

Zagrosjet

Airline: Zagrosjet

From:  Iraq

Year Established: 2005

Fleet Size: 1

Status: Ceased operations


April

Virgin AmericaAirline: Virgin America

From:  USA

Year Established: 2004

Fleet Size: 67

Status: Merged with Alaska Airlines

Air Arabia JordanAirline: Air Arabia Jordan

From:  Jordan

Year Established: 2014

Fleet Size: 2

Status: Ceased operations

SBA AirlinesAirline: SBA Airlines

From:  Venezuela

Year Established: 1995

Fleet Size: 5

Status: Ceased operations 

Airline: DART Ukrainian Airlines

From:  Ukraine

Year Established: 1997

Fleet Size: 3

Status: Ceased operations 


May

Air Costa Rica

Airline: Air Costa Rica

From:  Costa Rica

Year Established: 2015

Fleet Size: 1

Status: Ceased operations

Aserca AirlinesAirline: Aserca Airlines

From:  Venezuela

Year Established: 1968

Fleet Size: 11

Status: Ceased operations

Nextjet Airline: Nextjet 

From:  Sweden

Year Established: 2002

Fleet Size: 15

Status: Rebranded as Air Scandic

 

Saratov AirlinesAirline: Saratov Airlines

From:  Russia

Year Established: 1931 (as Saratov Air Enterprise of Aeroflot)

Fleet Size: 8

Status: Ceased operations


June

 JETGO AustraliaAirline: JETGO Australia

From: Australia

Year Established: 2011

Fleet Size: 5

Status: Ceased operations

 JETGO AustraliaAirline: Sparrow Aviation

From:  Sweden

Year Established: 2010

Fleet Size: 1

Status: Ceased operations

Airline: LTA – Linea Turistica Aereotuy

From: Venezuela

Year Established: 2010

Fleet Size: 1

Status: Ceased operations


July

Airline: Palau Pacific Airways

From:  Palau

Year Established: 2014

Fleet Size: 1

Status: Ceased operations

Airline: Orient Thai Airlines

From: Thailand

Year Established: 1995

Fleet Size: 13

Status: Suspended 


August

Air BaganAirline: Air Bagan 

From: Myanmar

Year Established: 2004

Fleet Size: 4

Status: Ceased operations

APEX AirlinesAirline: APEX Airlines

From: Myanmar

Year Established: 2012

Fleet Size: 1

Status: Ceased operations

 FMI Air Airline: FMI Air 

From: Myanmar

Year Established: 2012

Fleet Size: 4

Status: Ceased operations

SkyWork AirlinesAirline: SkyWork Airlines

From: Switzerland

Year Established: 1983

Fleet Size: 6

Status: Ceased Operations  

Airline: OneJet

From: USA

Year Established: 2015

Fleet Size: 10

Status: Ceased Operations  


September

Air MandalayAirline: Air Mandalay 

From: Myanmar

Year Established: 1994

Fleet Size: 2

Status: Ceased operations

Azur Air (Germany)Airline: Azur Air (Germany)

From: Germany

Year Established: 2016

Fleet Size: 2

Status: Ceased operations

OpenSkiesAirline: OpenSkies

From: France

Year Established: 2008

Fleet Size: 2

Status: Operations transferred to Level

 VLM Airlines Airline: VLM Airlines 

From:  Belgium

Year Established: 1992

Fleet Size: 4

Status: Ceased operations Wataniya AirwaysAirline: Wataniya Airways

From: Kuwait

Year Established: 2005

Fleet Size: 1

Status: Ceased operations


OctoberCobalt Air

Airline: Cobalt Air

From: Cyprus

Year Established: 2015

Fleet Size: 6

Status: Ceased operations

Primera AirAirline: Primera Air / Primera Air Nordic

From: Denmark / Latvia

Year Established: 2003 (as JetX)/2014

Fleet Size: 7/7

Status: Ceased operations

Airline: Cello Aviation

From: UK

Year Established: 2009 (as Altavia Jet Services)

Fleet Size: 2

Status: Ceased operations

Airline: UP

From: Israel

Year Established: 2013

Fleet Size: 4

Status: Remerged into El Al

Air LeisureAirline: Air Leisure

From:  Egypt

Year Established: 2014

Fleet Size: 3

Status: Suspended  Shaheen AirAirline: Shaheen Air

From: Pakistan

Year Established: 1993

Fleet Size: 0 (All aircraft leased and returned to lessor)

Status: Suspended


November

Small Planet Airlines

Airline: Small Planet Airlines

From:  Lithuania/Poland/Germany/Cambodia

Year Established: 2007 (as FlyLAL Charters)

Fleet Size: 17 (Including all smaller sister airlines)

Status: Ceased operations

Xtra AirwaysAirline: Xtra Airways

From: USA

Year Established: 1987

Fleet Size: 10

Status: Absorbed by Swift Air


December

LASA Líneas AéreasAirline: LASA Líneas Aéreas

From:  Argentina

Year Established: 2017

Fleet Size: 2

Status: Ceased operations

PrivatAirAirline: PrivatAir

From:  Switzerland/Germany

Year Established: 1977

Fleet Size: 5

Status: Ceased operations

Airline: Fastjet Tanzania

From: Tanzania

Year Established: 2011 as Fly540 Tanzania

Fleet Size: 4

Status: Suspended

1 COMMENT

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