The airline cited economic pressures, rising UK costs, and lack of contracts as reasons for the collapse, according to an internal email. According to an insider, staff had been concerned for months due to unpaid bills. Hopes of securing an IOSA licence in March failed, multiple reports said. Attempts to keep the airline operating collapsed after potential partners refused to take on enough aircraft, according to multiple reports. The airline also missed payments to its leasing company, leading to a swift collapse, an insider said.
According to Daily Express, an insider described UK taxes as too high, making UK airlines 40% more expensive than European ones. Staff face uncertainty over wages and may not get paid for May, according to the same source. Employees are frustrated because the airline recently recruited more crew, the insider added. According to multiple reports, Ascend Airways originally launched in 2004 under Synergy Aviation before rebranding in 2023.
It’s gone bust today, we got the news this afternoon. We’ve all been given the letters that it’s all going into liquidation.
The exact amount of unpaid wages, the reasons for the failed IOSA application, and whether passengers with booked flights will be compensated remain unclear.
It’s to do with the economy, we couldn’t get contracts, the UK is a lot more expensive than Europe.
The fuel situation had a massive effect on it as well.
It’s 40 per cent cheaper to use airlines in Europe than the UK because taxes are too high.
We’re not going to get paid for May and we have to go through the liquidators.
You could get up to £750 a week but we’re not going to get the full amount we’re owed.
We were quite surprised they took on more crew, I think they were banking on getting the IOSA.
When we heard they hadn’t paid, we knew it was downhill fast.