Ascend Airways Cancels Flights, Gives Up UK AOC After 8-Aircraft Shutdown — Airlines Cancelling Flights
Ascend Airways has joined airlines cancelling flights, ending all services with immediate effect and giving up its UK Air Operator’s Certificate. The wet-lease carrier operated from Gatwick Airport and Stansted Airport, and it is returning an eight-aircraft fleet.
The company-wide email blamed economic pressures and the jet fuel crisis tied to the conflict in Iran. Ascend Airways said its Malaysian arm remains operationally stable and continues to operate as usual.
Gatwick And Stansted
Ascend Airways did not sell seats directly to passengers. It flew behind the scenes for other airlines and also operated as an ACMI carrier, providing Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance.
Its previous clients included TUI, Oman Air and Air Sierra Leone. For passengers, that means the immediate disruption falls first on the airlines that used Ascend aircraft, rather than on a retail booking channel tied to the carrier itself.
Fuel Costs And Contracts
A source said the shutdown was due to the economy, difficulty getting contracts, and higher costs in the UK than in Europe. The same source said the fuel situation had a massive effect on the airline.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which handles approximately 20% of the world’s oil supply, has driven the jet fuel crisis that the airline linked to its shutdown. Jet fuel costs were said to have risen from around $85 to $90 per barrel to $150 to $200 per barrel.
Ascend Airways Malaysia
Ascend Airways Malaysia said on Wednesday that it remains operationally stable and continues to operate as usual. The Malaysian business is a separate legal and financial entity from Ascend Airways Ltd in the UK, so the shutdown does not extend across the wider group.
Ascend is described as the first UK airline to have ceased operations because of the jet fuel crisis. The practical next step is the return of the eight aircraft and the end of UK operations under the airline’s certificate.
