FuckedAirlines.com

Global Aviation Holdings has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing its large fleet and high labour costs.

"Although the company has worked closely with its lessors, bondholders and other creditors and constituents over the past year, which led to the reduction of certain obligations, the company needs to complete its comprehensive restructuring due to having too large a fleet, labour costs that exceed industry standards given the current global economic environment, and the necessity to align the capital structure with the size of the company," Robert Binns, chairman and CEO of Global Aviation said in a statement. 

Hungarian flag-carrier Malev ceased operating early on Friday morning after 66 years of almost continuous service, after its planes were held overseas for unpaid debts.

Hungary's national airline had been placed under extraordinary protection from creditors and a receiver was appointed by the government earlier this week.

Malev said its suppliers had lost confidence and started to demand advance payment for their services, while the government could no longer provide cash injections for the company following a European Union ruling last month.

"This has accelerated the outflow of cash to such an extent, that by today the situation of the airline has become unsustainable," Malev said in a statement.

"The board, in order to minimise losses, has ordered a halt in operation of the Hungarian national airline."

All flights were grounded from 0500 GMT, Friday.

The Hungarian government withdrew funding on the 2nd February 2012 and the closure was announced this morning (3rd Feb 2012).

The Malev website (http://www.malev.com/) has closed with just a holding message providing basic information to passengers.

All flights were cancelled after its parent company, Globespan, entered into bankruptcy on Wednesday.

About 800 employees have lost their job and about 4,500 passengers were stranded by the airline's collapse, mostly in Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Egypt. 

Flyglobespan (a trading name for Globespan Airways Limited) was established in November 2002 as an offshoot of the Globespan Group. Operations started in April 2003 using two Boeing 737-300 aircraft provided by Channel Express on services from Glasgow Prestwick Airport and Edinburgh Airport to five destinations in Spain, France and Italy.

Globespan, an Edinburgh-based tour operator with over 30 years experience, already offered scheduled and charter flights, cruise travel, rail and coach travel, motor home and car rental, and hotel accommodation tailored for holidaymakers visiting destinations in Canada, the USA and Spain. The scheduled flights, mainly to Canada, were operated by Air Transat from airports throughout the UK, with Globespan acting as the booking agent and selling the flights under its own brand. In summer 2002, a similar arrangement was trialled between Edinburgh and Nice, in the south of France. This was to prove successful for Globespan, and led to the creation of its own no-frills brand, Flyglobespan.

JetAmerica officially will not get off the ground in August. The airline announced in a press release this afternoon that it is "suspending sales to all markets and that it would immediately begin to notify affected customers and process refunds to all customers who have booked on the public charter flights." A spokesman for the company said JetAmerica would refund more than US$900,000 in ticket reservations for flights since August 14, which was JetAmerica's latest project launch date.

The Associated Press picks up the story, saying the "fledgling discount airline that garnered attention with US$9 promotional fares, has folded without ever getting off the ground. ... Service was originally supposed to begin July 13 to underserved markets in Toledo, Ohio; South Bend, Indiana; Melbourne, Florida; and Lansing, Michigan. Flights were also scheduled to larger airports in Minneapolis and Newark, New Jersey."

The delay is not the first for JetAmerica. The carrier said on July 2 that it would postpone its launch, a move that came just 11 days before the airline was to fly its first flight from Toledo to Newark. JetAmerica blamed the delay on unexpected delays in securing landing slots at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Sweden's newly-formed transport authority has revoked the operating licence of carrier Nordic Airways after the company ran into financial problems.

Nordic Airways, which operates out of Stockholm Arlanda, uses Boeing MD-80 aircraft on wet-lease and charter contracts.

But the Swedish authority Transport Styrelsen - established on 1 January and charged with regulating civil aviation - says it has ordered the carrier's grounding over its economic situation.

Australian carrier OzJet has ceased flying, stranding passengers in both Perth and Bali. OzJet has claimed it is due to problems with both the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and Indojet, however Perth Airport claims OzJet has mounting debts. Parent company HeavyLift has chosen to close the airline and sell the fleet of Boeing 737-200s. 

Indonesian carrier Linus Airways has stopped operating and is seeking new investors to restart.

The carrier officially stopped operating on 27 April, the day it submitted its cessation notice to the Indonesian Directorate-General of Civil Aviation, the airline's president director, Julius Indra, says from Jakarta.

The carrier is now seeking new investors to inject cash into the business, confirms Indra, who was unable to say when services will resume.

Prior to its voluntary closure, the passenger airline was operating to eight domestic destinations on a scheduled basis.

Zoom officially ceased all operations and filed for bankruptcy protection on August 28, 2008, due to its deteriorating financial position.