“Do not go to the airport as flights will not be operating” – that is the message from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to passengers booked on Eastern Airways. The regional airline, which connected destinations including Aberdeen, Newquay and Gatwick, has cancelled all flights. Ticket sales, which continued until noon on Monday, have ceased. And the aircraft have been returned to leasing companies. So it appears likely that Eastern Airways is to close after 28 years.
Technically, the Humberside-based airline has filed a “notice of intention to appoint an administrator” – a legal move gives the company protection from creditors for 10 business days while it seeks an alternative to liquidation. But flights are not thought likely to resume.
The Humberside-based airline looks destined to become the latest UK regional carrier to fail after BMI Regional and Flybe. Pilots, cabin crew, office staff and other workers face losing their jobs.
Passengers with advance reservations are being urged to find alternative transport and seek refunds.
For passengers and staff on routes to and from Aberdeen on Tuesday and Wednesday, 28-29 October, train operators will provide free travel on production of a boarding pass, flight confirmation or Eastern Airways employee ID. The CAA said: “LNER, ScotRail, TransPennine Express and Northern Railway will offer free standard class travel.”
The most recent annual accounts for Eastern Airways’ legal entity, Air Kilroe Ltd, were filed in December 2024. The “Strategic Report” accompanying the results states: “The directors feel that the company has a good mix of business activities, and is well-balanced to handle the risks and uncertainties that it may face.”
But the legal step the carrier has taken involves asserting: “The company is or is likely to become unable to pay its debts.”
Before its operations were suspended, Eastern Airways operated only four scheduled services.
Three of the routes were to and from Aberdeen. Links from the Scottish city to Teesside and Humberside airports in England were primarily aimed at North Sea oil traffic. The connection between Aberdeen and Wick in far north Scotland was supported by the Scottish government as a “Public Service Obligation” (PSO) route. The 93-mile flight, typically taking 30 minutes, saved a five-hour drive.
The remaining route was between London Gatwick and Newquay – another PSO connection intended to provide connectivity between Cornwall and the capital.
The Independent understands Cornwall Council is urgently seeking a replacement carrier, with an airline to be named within days. Passengers with forward bookings over the coming weeks and months are likely to be able to transfer them to the new operator.
The aviation analyst Sean Moulton said: “Time will tell if any of these routes gets picked up but these will be fearful times for Humberside, Teesside, Wick and Newquay as Eastern operated their busiest domestic services.
“Regarding the Aberdeen flights: Loganair could be best placed to serve these routes, however, Eastern used 29-seater aircraft and Loganair would likely need to use much larger planes which could be unviable.”
Eastern Airways was launched in 1997 with a single route between Humberside and Aberdeen to serve the oil industry. It expanded during the first decade of the 21st century, with routes such as Newcastle to London City and a hub on the Isle of Man.
In the 2010s, Eastern operated on behalf of British Airways between London City and the Isle of Man. It also operated a number of French domestic PSO routes for a time, and flew the short-lived link between Cardiff and Anglesey in North Wales.
Towards the end of the Covid pandemic, Eastern Airways launched a short-lived link between Birmingham and Gibraltar.
The airline claims to be “Number One in Europe for providing charter flights for sports teams” including Premier League football teams.
Eastern Airways struck an agreement with KLM to operate a wide range of links from British cities to Amsterdam Schiphol on the Dutch airline’s behalf, but that arrangement ended on 5 October.
A leading UK aviation figure said: “Taking on a major contract with KLM that then went wrong – after they had tooled up with more Embraer jets and crews – looks to have been the downfall. One just hopes the staff get paid at the end of October.”
The Independent has contacted Eastern Airways for comment.
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