A major airline operating flights out of the UK has plunged into liquidation and ceased operations. Ascend Airways, which operated for just three years under its current name, supplied aircraft to carriers including Oman Air, Air Sierra Leone and TUI Airways before stopping flights with immediate effect on April 27.

Those airlines are not affected by the collapse, as Ascend operated services on their behalf. Crew were informed of the shutdown the same day and issued letters confirming the company had entered liquidation. A public announcement was delayed until a flight from Muscat landed safely at London Stansted Airport (YD187).

Speaking to the Sun, an insider said: "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." In an internal email, the company cited economic pressures, rising UK costs and a lack of contracts as reasons behind the collapse.

The insider continued: "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."

Staff are now reported to face uncertainty over wages, they said: "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."

The had also been concerned for months, reportedly, due to unpaid bills and increasing financial pressure.

Hopes of securing an IOSA licence in March, which would have allowed expansion into global routes, failed.

Attempts to keep the airline operating also collapsed after potential partners refused to take on enough aircraft.

"It's 40 per cent cheaper to use airlines in Europe than the UK because taxes are too high," the insider claimed.

The collapse has left employees frustrated, particularly after the airline had recently recruited more crew.

"We were quite surprised they took on more crew, I think they were banking on getting the IOSA," the insider added.

The downturn intensified when the airline reportedly missed payments to its leasing company, leading to a swift collapse.

"When we heard they hadn't paid, we knew it was downhill fast," the insider said.

Ascend Airways originally launched in 2004 under Synergy Aviation before rebranding in 2023.

At the time of its collapse, it operated a fleet of one Boeing 737-800 and six Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.