Several airlines cease operations or merged during 2025. While carriers like PLAY from Iceland and Blue Planet, which both served Dublin, stopped flying, and Irish airline Cityjet narrowly averted closure, the year saw multiple mergers and closures across regions.
The Board of Play shared “performance had failed to match expectations while recent months brought poor ticket sales.”
Ceased:
- Aerolínea Lanhsa (Honduras): Ceased operations in April 2025 following a fatal crash of Flight 018 on March 17, 2025, which killed 13 people. Honduran authorities suspended and later revoked the airline’s operating license due to the accident and safety concerns.
- Air Albania (Albania): Ceased operations in December 2025 (final flight around December 7). The shutdown stemmed from financial difficulties, the withdrawal of major shareholder Turkish Airlines’ 49% stake, and revocation of its operating license by Albanian authorities for non-compliance with regulations.
- Air Dilijans (Armenia): Ceased operations effectively in early 2025 (AOC revoked on February 3, 2025), though flights had been suspended since 2023. The airline sold its last aircraft to Georgian Airways, leading to loss of its air operator’s certificate amid ongoing financial and operational struggles.
- Angara Airlines (Russia): Grounded and ceased operations in November 2025 (AOC revoked effective November 5). This followed a fatal crash of Flight 2311 in July 2025 and subsequent safety concerns identified by Russian regulator Rosaviatsiya.
- Bees Airlines (Romania): Ceased operations in January 2025 (AOC suspended January 14, revoked February 1). Low passenger demand led to financial difficulties, including struggles to pay staff, prompting the Romanian Civil Aviation Authority to ground the airline.
- Blue Islands (Jersey): Ceased operations on November 14, 2025. Financial insolvency, exacerbated by unresolved pandemic-era debt and refusal of further support from the Jersey government, forced the immediate suspension.
- Braathens International Airways (Sweden): Filed for bankruptcy and ceased Airbus operations in September 2025 (board decision to phase out August 27). Declining demand from tour operators, high costs, and failure to secure financing led to the shutdown of its jet operations (turboprop regional services continued under sister companies).
- Eastern Airways (England): Ceased operations on October 27, 2025, filing a notice of intention to appoint administrators. Financial strain, including loss of key contracts and returned aircraft to lessors, led to the suspension.
- Flybig (India): Grounded and ceased operations in late October/early November 2025 (formal AOC expiration December 13). Lessors repossessed all aircraft due to unpaid leases amid severe financial difficulties and low demand on regional routes.
- Georgian Wings (Georgia): Ceased passenger operations and retired the brand in April 2025. The parent company Geo-Sky ended scheduled services and retired its Boeing 737 fleet, focusing on cargo.
- Joy Air (China): Ceased operations on April 27, 2025. Severe financial troubles, mounting debt, unpaid wages, and operational challenges forced the indefinite suspension amid a pilot shortage and competition from high-speed rail.
- Kenai Aviation (USA): Ceased operations on November 3, 2025. Financial insolvency from pandemic-era debt, compounded by aircraft maintenance issues grounding its fleet, led to the immediate shutdown.
- Loch Lomond Seaplanes (Scotland): Ceased trading on April 11, 2025. The sudden closure, with no detailed public explanation, left passengers awaiting refunds; the company later entered liquidation.
- Lumiwings (Greece): Ceased operations in October 2025. A court ordered the return of its sole aircraft to the lessor due to unpaid lease installments, leaving the financially struggling airline without a fleet.
- MAP Linhas Aéreas (Brazil): Ceased operations on March 11, 2025, when Brazilian regulator ANAC suspended all flights of parent company Voepass (which included MAP) due to management and safety non-conformities.
- Myflug (Iceland): Ceased all flight operations on June 25, 2025, after 40 years, due to challenging trading conditions and financial difficulties following the merger with Eagle Air.
- New Pacific Airlines (USA): Ceased operations on November 26, 2025, due to unsustainable financial losses; the charter-focused carrier could no longer fund ongoing deficits despite recent partnerships.
- PLAY (Iceland): Ceased operations on September 29, 2025, filing for bankruptcy amid persistent financial losses, weak ticket sales, and internal challenges.
- Ravn Alaska (USA): Ceased operations on August 5, 2025 (last flight Valdez to Anchorage), following years of financial struggles, route reductions, and fleet shrinkage.
- Silver Airways (USA): Ceased operations on June 11, 2025, after bankruptcy restructuring failed when a potential buyer withdrew funding support.
- SKS Airways (Malaysia): Ceased operations on January 16, 2025, amid regulatory suspension of its AOC, expired licenses, and inability to sustain operations in a competitive market.
- Smartlynx Airlines (Estonia & Latvia): The Latvian arm ceased operations on November 24, 2025, due to insurmountable financial difficulties shortly after divestment from Avia Solutions Group; subsidiaries in Estonia and Malta were sold separately.
- Trans Am Aero Express del Ecuador/DHL Ecuador (Ecuador): Ceased operations on July 14, 2025, with services replaced by DHL Aero Expreso amid operational restructuring by parent DHL.
- Vensecar Internacional (Venezuela): Ceased operations on June 11, 2025, due to severe financial and operational difficulties.
- Voepass (Brazil): Operations suspended on March 11, 2025, with AOC permanently revoked on June 24, 2025, following persistent safety and management issues after a fatal 2024 crash.
Merged / Absorbed:
- Air China Inner Mongolia (China/Mongolia) > Air China: Fully re-integrated into parent company Air China on October 15, 2025 (independent operations ceased October 14, with formal merger November 5 in some reports). The move was part of a broader restructuring to improve operational efficiency, absorb assets, routes, and staff directly into the mainline carrier without service disruptions.
- Airbus Beluga Transport (France) > Airbus Transport International: Operations ceased in January 2025, with the subsidiary wound down and BelugaST fleet returned to parent Airbus Transport International (ATI). The commercial outsized cargo service, launched in 2022 using older BelugaST aircraft, proved unviable due to economic factors after replacement by the larger BelugaXL for internal logistics.
- Jetstar Asia (Singapore) > Jetstar Airways: Ceased operations on July 31, 2025 (announced June 11). No direct merger; the Singapore-based affiliate was shut down due to unsustainable costs, competition, and lower returns compared to core markets. Fleet redeployed to Jetstar Airways(Australia/New Zealand) for capacity growth.
- OWG (Canada) > Nolinor Aviation: Ceased operations on May 1, 2025. The leisure brand, a virtual division of parent Nolinor Aviation focused on sun destinations, was discontinued amid operational challenges; Nolinor refocused on core charter services using the same AOC and aircraft.
- Sunwing Airlines (Canada) > WestJet: Fully integrated into WestJet on May 29, 2025 (final Sunwing flight May 28). Following WestJet’s 2023 acquisition, the merger unified narrowbody operations under one AOC to strengthen leisure travel dominance, with Sunwing aircraft reconfigured to WestJet standards by end-2025.
- Wizz Air Abu Dhabi (UAE) > Wizz Air: Ceased operations on September 1, 2025 (announced July). The joint-venture subsidiary was shut down due to engine issues in hot climates, geopolitical instability, supply chain constraints, and regulatory barriers. Parent Wizz Air refocused on core European markets.
