Why Do Europe's Airlines Keep Dying Off?
Skift Take
Each airline failure, of course, includes a number of problems related to the specific business. In Europe, at least at the moment, many of the smaller players that found they could once eke out a living on the edge of the market are no longer able to do so.
The long tail of European airlines has gotten considerably shorter in the last few weeks due to the financial struggles of a number of small carriers.
Since the start of September, Aigle Azur, XL Airways, Adria Airways, and Thomas Cook have either gone out of business or stopped flying, in a sign that market conditions have deteriorated across the continent.
Meanwhile in France, Aigle Azur has closed down after failing to find a new buyer. The carrier, which specialized in routes between France and Algeria, filed for bankruptcy at the start of September. Its largest shareholder was struggling Chinese conglomerate HNA Group with 49 percent.
Another carrier XL Airways announced on Monday 30 September it was suspending operations until October 3 “due to financial difficulties”.
Bizarrely, French finance minister
