These 18 Airlines Shut Down Operations In 2025

Operating an airline is no easy business, and with just as many startups being announced with each passing year, there are the equivalent that are forced to shut down due to financial constraints. It’s no wonder there’s the ole’ saying “if you want to be a millionaire, start with a billion dollars and launch a new airline.”

2025 was no different, and in this article, I’ll cover as many as I could find. I’ve previous covered closures from 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, but this time I’ll break them down into two separate categories, one covering full closures, and others that technically became non-existent due to being absorbed or merged into another brand.

Like my previous lists, I only cover passenger airlines that cease operations, and not specifically the revocation of an AOC in a different year for instance.

Shut Down Operations

Voepass and MAP Linhas Aéreas (Brazil) – Ceased operations on March 11, 2025

Voepass Linhas Aéreas was a Sao Paulo-based airline formed by Passaredo Linhas Aéreas and MAP Linhas Aéreas. While MAP remained a subsidiary of Voepass, MAP aircraft retained their branding separate from Voepass. They operated regional turboprops and jets, and even partnered with larger carriers such as GOL and LATAM to assist them with their smaller regional operations.

Even though both GOL and LATAM expressed serious interest in acquiring Voepass, both larger carriers pulled out on the last minute, putting Voepass between a rock and a hard place. Dealing with extremely slim profit margins, COVID-19 cost inflation, and increasing regulatory scrutiny, Voepass was forced to rely on the Brazilian government for financial aid to survive.

Voepass was dealt the final blow on August 9, 2024, when one of their ATR 72-500 aircraft entered a flat spin as a result of ice build up on the wings, resulting in all 62 on board losing their lives in a fiery crash in Vinhedo.

The incident which sent shockwaves across the world, critically damaged the airline’s reputation, and triggered intensified scrutiny by the Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC). On March 11, ANAC suspended the carrier’s Air Operator Certificate citing various safety concerns, resulting in all flights being canceled indefinitely.

Aerolínea Lanhsa (Honduras) – Ceased operations on April 2, 2025

Founded in 2011, Aerolínea Lanhsa operated a small fleet of BAe Jetstreams, providing both scheduled and chartered services across Honduras. Unfortunately, on March 17, 2025, one of their aircraft (a Jetstream 32 registered HR-AYW) crashed shortly after takeoff from Roatan Island to La Ceiba.

The incident claimed the lives of 12 of the 17 on board, and eventually led to Lanhsa’s AOC being revoked. As a result, the carrier shut down operations indefinitely on April 2, 2025.

Joy Air (China) – Ceased operations on April 27, 2025

Launched in 2009 as a partnership between China Eastern Airlines and China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I), Joy Air was set up to operate initially out of Dongli, Tianjin before switching bases to Xi’an in 2020. The carrier operated a fleet of Boeing 737-800s jets and Xi’an MA60 turboprop aircraft.

Joy Air’s selection of routes proved to be unprofitable and the airline found itself deep in financial debt, shutting down operations on April 27, 2025. The carrier announced plans to restart operations, but nothing has changed since.

Silver Airways (United States) – Ceased operations on June 11, 2025

Founded in 2011, Silver Airways was a regional carrier that operated mainly in South Florida with hubs in Florida and Puerto Rico. With its fleet of ATR 42s and 72s, it performed flights across different parts of the United States, but their operations eventually focused on the U.S. southeast and parts of the Caribbean.

Long before 2024, there were rumors that Silver struggled to keep their heads above the water, and in December 2024, they would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. They initially planned to restructure while keeping operations going, hoping to make an exit in the first quarter of 2025.

They were not able to improve their financial position and shut down operations on June 11, 2025. Being a small carrier with slim margins, they could not deal with rising fuel prices, maintenance costs, and the slow return to normal travel following the pandemic. Many of Silver’s ATRs have gone onto other carriers, including JSX which recently started ATR ops.

Jetstar Asia (Singapore) – Ceased operations on July 31, 2025

Jetstar Asia was a Singaporean low-cost airline headquartered at Changi Airport operating a fleet of Airbus A320s. It flew to both regional destinations in Southeast Asia and to countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. It also flew to regional routes in East Asia such as Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Like many others, the pandemic had a long-term knock-on effect, affecting the company’s profitability. In 2020, they trimmed about one quarter of their work force, and retired five aircraft. With just 13 units in its fleet, Qantas (49% shareholder) decided to axe the entire division due to increased competition in the region, while also facing increased operation costs.

The aircraft were transitioned to Jetstar’s main fleet in Australia and New Zealand as they focused on more profitable operations.

Ravn Alaska (United States) – Ceased operations on August 5, 2025

Ravn Alaska was an Alaskan-based airline specializing in serving small communities. Founded in 1948 as Economy Helicopters, the company would be renamed to Era Helicopters, mostly operating transit flights for various oil companies. Over time the company would add fixed wing aircraft to its fleet including DeHaviland Twin Otters and Convair 580s.

In 1983 they expanded into the passenger service business, operating scheduled and chartered flights out of various Alaskan towns. Over time, the company went through multiple name and ownership changes, and even weathered bankruptcy protection in 2004. The helicopter division would eventually become part of Bristow Helicopters while the rest would become Ravn Alaska.

As a result of the pandemic, the carrier once again entered bankruptcy protection, selling off some divisions to other carriers in the region, and managed to successfully emerge in November 2020.

Ravn’s parent company FLOAT Alaska LLC launched a larger charter company called New Pacific Airlines, which operated a fleet of Boeing 757s. The hope was that they could connect passengers across the world via Alaska and funnel some of those passengers to other smaller cities via Ravn.

Ultimately, Ravn could not sustain itself due to increased operating costs, labor shortages and competition from other carriers. The company started to downsize from as early as February 2024 and wrapped up operations on August 5, 2025.

Lumiwings (Greece/Italy) – Ceased operations in September 2025

Founded in December 2015, Greek airline Lumiwings operated a Boeing 737-700 and Embraer E190 out of Foggia in Italy. They offered both chartered and scheduled service to a limited number of cities in Milan and Turin.

Their Boeing 737 was later stored in October 2024, leaving them with just one aircraft. The airline came to an abrupt end in September 2025 after their E190 was grounded as per a London court order as a result of the airline missing numerous lease payments.

Wizz Air Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) – Ceased operations on September 1, 2025

Founded in 2019 in a 51/49 ownership split between Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company (ADQ) and Hungary’s Wizz Air Holdings, the Emirati low-cost carrier set up shop in Abu Dhabi, offering flights to various parts of Europe, West Asia and the Middle East.

The carrier was forced to shut down operations less than six years later due to political instability in the region which resulted in a number of airspace closures. The hot climate was also problematic for their fleet of A321neos, resulting in premature engine wear.

Wizz Air’s CEO József Váradia also accused the Emirati government of favoring Etihad, referring to a situation where they were initially approved to fly into India and Pakistan, but then had those rights later rescinded, instead giving them to Etihad. When asked about it, Etihad’s CEO noted that they had grandfather rights to certain routes and operated within the law. Whether that is the case or not, it is strange that there was so much pushback especially when ADQ had a 51% stake in the Abu Dhabi-based Wizz Air.

Play (Iceland) – Ceased operations on September 29, 2025

Headed up by two-ex (now defunct) Wow Air executives, Play was formed in 2019 and started service in mid-2021. The premise was pretty much a copy and paste Icelandic model, offering cheap connecting flights between the continents via Iceland.

Operating a fleet of new Airbus A320neos and A321neos, Play failed to turn a profit, bleeding more and more money every year especially with rising fuel prices and volatile leisure activity. As more carriers started offering cheaper transatlantic flights, Play simply ran out of cards to “play” as they could not compete with the already well-established Icelandair.

They shut down operations on September 29, 2025.

FlyBig (India) – Ceased operations on December 13, 2025

Founded in 2020 in Gurugram, Haryana, India, FlyBig was a turboprop operator flying to various tier-2 cities in northwest and western parts of India. They operated a fleet of ATR 72s and DHC-6-400 Twin Otters. The airline cited supply chain issues, resulting in unreliable operations.

They were forced to temporarily shut down operations in 2023 before re-entering service a year later before stopping flights again October 2025, and officially wrapped up operations on December 13, 2025 when their AOC expired.

Eastern Airways (United Kingdom) – Ceased operations on October 27, 2025

Founded in December 1997, Eastern Airways launched flights between Humberside and Aberdeen with the aim of serving the oil industry. Over time they would expand their presence out of Aberdeen, Teesside and Newquay. Nearing the end of their operations, they flew a mixed fleet including ATR 72-600s, BAe Jetstream 41s, and Embraer E170s and E190s.

The carrier operated a mix of regular scheduled and Public Service Obligation (PSO) flights to partially support worker movement for the oil and gas industry. They also operated regional flights on behalf of carriers such as Flybe, British Airways and KLM.

Eastern’s finances were not exactly in the best shape, but they felt their partnership with KLM Cityhopper could help keep them afloat, especially during KLM’s pilot shortage period. Unfortunately, KLM changed strategy, keeping everything in house as part of simplifying its offering and reducing expenditure, and chose not to renew their contract with Eastern.

With this partnership coming to an end, Eastern simply could not sustain itself as PSO flights offered slim margins, and they ended up with jets that offered too much capacity for the routes they regularly operated. Of course, the pandemic also had a hand, resulting in Eastern shutting down on October 27, 2025.

Blue Islands (Channel Islands) – Ceased operations on November 14, 2025

Starting operations in 1999, Blue Islands was a regional carrier operating flights out Guernsey and Jersey in the Channel Islands, to parts of the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland and The Netherlands.

From 2016 through early 2020, they franchised the Flybe name, but was forced to adopt its own title once again after Flybe shut down operations the first time in March 2020. The airline also granted a loan and other financial support via subsidized routes from the Government of Jersey as part of COVID relief efforts, but still failed to turn a profit. Once funding was cut, Blue Islands was forced to wind down operations, shutting down on November 14, 2025.

SmartLynx Airlines (Latvia) – Ceased operations on November 24, 2025

SmartLynx Airlines was a Latvian-based ACMI, charter and cargo carrier. It operated flights on wet lease, holiday charters, ad-hoc passenger charters and cargo flights across Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, Canada and the United States.

Over its 30+ years in service, they operated wet-lease service on behalf of a number of other carriers including Air Peace, Condor, EasyJet, Air Transat, TUI and others. SmartLynx was a bit too optimistic, expanding very quickly while placing too much reliance on the wet leasing market, putting them in financial hot water.

This led to the company being unable to pay wages for October and November 2025, resulting in the company being forced to shut down operations on November 24, 2025. At the time of shut down, they operated Airbus A320s and A321s, Boeing 737 MAX 8s, an Airbus A330-300 and a number of Airbus A321-200P2F freighters as part of their cargo ops.

New Pacific Airlines (United States) – Ceased operations on November 26, 2025

Set up under the same parent company as Ravn Alaska (mentioned above), New Pacific Airlines (originally launched as Northern Pacific Airways in 2021), was an American charter airline and former low-cost carrier operating out of Anchorage, Alaska.

With their fleet of Boeing 757-200s, they attempted to use a similar connecting model like Icelandair, offering cheap flights between Asia, the Americas and Europe via Alaska. As a result of the Russian/Ukraine conflict, they were not able to economically monetize the Asian market and turned to operating domestic flights out of Ontario, California.

In April 2024, they switched to a charter-only model, but due to being overly ambitious and operating a fleet of aging 757s, they were unable to sustain regular operations. On top of that, they bled money in a legal dispute with BNSF over the Northern Pacific Airways name. After losing the case, they were forced to rebrand, adding unnecessary expenses to their books.

New Pacific Airlines eventually wrapped up operations on November 26, 2025.

Air Albania (Albania) – Ceased operations on December 10, 2025

Air Albania was founded in 2018 as Albania’s new flag carrier through a public-private partnership between the Albanian government, Turkish Airlines, and local investors. Operations began in September 2018 from Tirana, initially focusing on routes to Turkey and major European cities.

From the start, the airline struggled to compete. Rapid expansion of low-cost carriers such as Wizz Air and Ryanair sharply undercut fares, limiting Air Albania’s passenger base. At the same time, the airline faced financial losses, route reductions, and operational problems, including unpaid bills and disputes with aircraft lessors, which weakened confidence in the company.

The situation worsened in 2025 when Turkish Airlines withdrew as a shareholder. Soon after, Albania’s aviation authority suspended Air Albania’s operating license for regulatory non-compliance, forcing the airline to stop flying. Without its main strategic partner and burdened by debt, the airline effectively collapsed.

Mergers and Acquisitions

OWG (Canada) – Merged back into Nolinor – Ceased operations on May 1, 2025

OWG (Off We Go) was a subsidiary virtual airline founded by Nolinor Aviation. Operating a small fleet of Boeing 737-400s and a -800 out of Montreal (YUL) and Toronto (YYZ), OWG was supposed to be a more leisure-focused brand to connect customers to sunnier destinations.

The airline operated flights to multiple cities in Cuba through a partnership with Canadian travel operator Hola Sun Holidays. Even though they wanted to expand into other markets within the Caribbean and to Mexico, COVID-19 volatility and fuel price increases were a big concern, resulting in them focusing on Cuban destinations.

The good times didn’t last long though, and OWG was folded back into Nolinor at the start of May 2025.

Air China Inner Mongolia (China) – Merged operations into Air China – Operations switched to Air China on October 15, 2025

There’s not much to report here. Air China Inner Mongolia was founded as an 80/20 split between Air China and the Inner Mongolia State-owned Capital Management Company Limited. The first flights began in January 2014, using a small fleet of Boeing 737-700s and -800s.

The legal entity was shut down on October 15, 2025 with all assets, staffing and operations being transferred to Air China. From a customer point of view, it was basically business as usual besides a few small branding changes.

Sunwing Airlines (Canada) – Acquired by WestJet – Ceased operations on May 28, 2025

Founded in November 2005, Sunwing Airlines operated leisure flights from multiple bases in Canada to the United States, Central America and the Caribbean. Sunwing Airlines was a subsidiary of the larger Sunwing Travel Group, which offered end-to-end travel services by managing hotels, travel agencies, operating flights to and from their vacation destinations, and bundling all these together as part of low-cost vacation packages.

Sunwing has been pretty successful, but often times had to deal with volatility, and constantly needing to lease extra aircraft from other airlines and lessors during peak periods. As they operated a smaller fleet, the cost to do business in Canadian aviation had a bigger impact on them versus some of the larger carriers.

In 2023, WestJet acquired the Sunwing Travel Group, taking about two years to fully merge operations. On May 28, Sunwing flew its last flight under its airline name before fully incorporating operations under the Westjet brand. The Sunwing name still lives on under other subdivisions, but you’ll almost always see a WestJet flight operating the flight portion of the booking.

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