As is the case with any year, 2024 was kinder to some companies within the global airline industry than it was to others. We have seen our fair share of casualties over the past twelve months, though, with several major carriers succumbing to a range of internal and external pressures and having to cease operations and shut down as a result.
Conversely, the year seems to have created just the right market conditions in which a handful of startup carriers have been able to take to the air for the first time – full of ambition and anticipation for the exciting times that may lay ahead.
As we say goodbye to 2024, AeroTime looks back on those carriers that failed to survive the year, with their names and operations now confined to the aviation history books. We will also run through the newcomers of 2024 – airlines that, possibly after years of planning and gathering the finance and regulatory approvals needed, saw their first commercial flights get airborne and start earning revenue.
Note: This article will be limited to major passenger and cargo airlines and is not intended to be an exhaustive list. Air taxi operators and private jet/general aviation companies are not included, nor are companies that have been incorporated but have not yet operated their first commercial service.
Note: All data included in this article was sourced from ch-aviation unless otherwise stated, and was current as of December 23, 2024.
An ever-changing landscape
2024 proved to be another fascinating year for the airline industry. With some elements of the industry still struggling to find a firm footing three years after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, other sectors are soaring, with surging demand and airlines searching for ways to match supply with demand.
The process has not been helped by supply chain issues impacting the deliveries of new aircraft from the leading manufacturers, paired with a blizzard of issues at Boeing that all began with the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9 blow-out incident in January 2024.
The lack of aircraft capacity in the short term saw a monumental shift toward the use of wet-leased aircraft under ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, Insurance) contracts. Under such agreements, specialist carriers supply seasonal capacity to airlines, allowing them to meet the peaks in demand, while providing the flexibility to offload that extra capacity once demand subsides.
The growing use of ACMI aircraft, plus the retention of older aircraft in airline fleets that may have been earmarked for retirement, have undoubtedly been the two most significant trends within the global airline sector in 2024. It would be foolhardy to expect these trends to subside significantly as we head into 2025.
And yet, set against the backdrop of a global airline industry that in many respects has never had it so good, some companies were simply unable to navigate their way through the twelve months of 2024. Whether through strained finances or other factors, the year saw more casualties than it did new startup airlines, the latter having made it through the myriad complexities involved in starting an airline to watch as their maiden flights took to the air.
Content retrieved from: https://www.aerotime.aero/articles/airline-casualties-startups-2024-list.
