British regional carrier Eastern Airways has reportedly halted operations and returned aircraft to its leasing partners.
According to British newspaper The Independent, the airline on Monday canceled all flights and stopped selling tickets. Company officials filed a “notice of intention to appoint an administrator,” which gives Eastern limited protection from creditors, but given the surrender of its aircraft, it seems likely the carrier will close after 28 years in business, The Independent reported.
Eastern has its main base at Humberside Airport in Kirmington, North Lincolnshire, England.
It connects Humberside and Teesside International Airport in Northern England with Aberdeen, Scotland, and serves Wick, Scotland, from Aberdeen through a public service obligation, similar to Essential Air Service in the U.S. It also operates a route between London Gatwick and Newquay in Cornwall.
The Independent reported that Eastern’s service to and from Aberdeen is mainly meant to serve the North Sea oil industry.
In the U.K., a notice of an intent to appoint an administrator signals that a company is or will likely become unable to pay its debts. It was not immediately clear what business factors led to the filing.
According to The Independent, Eastern in the past served destinations such as Newcastle, the Isle of Man, Cardiff in Wales, and Gibraltar, a British territory in continental Europe. It also partnered with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines with the intention of providing service between the U.K. and Amsterdam Schiphol, but these flights did not materialize.
