Not a familiar name – but they leased jets to bigger companies like TUI
Kristina Beanland and Olivia Bridge Reporter in Live News Network
10:42, 01 May 2026Updated 11:50, 01 May 2026
The airline has cancelled all its flights(Image: Getty Images)
Another airline has had to cease operations as the travel industry braces for huge summer disruption caused by the fuel crisis and the conflict in the Gulf.
Ascend Airlines will not be a familiar name, but they are a subsidiary of Dublin HQ’d Avia Solutions Group and specialised in leasing planes to bigger operators such as the huge holiday group TUI and their TUI Airways. This latest shock to the airline sector follows the mass cancellation of flights by Lufthansa and Aer Lingus and warnings from both Ryanair and Whizz Air that the airline sector is heading for a huge crisis.
Today, Ascend has grounded its fleet and ceased operations. Ascend Airways has confirmed it has cancelled all its flights with immediate effect and will soon be handing over its UK Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC).
The news comes amid worldwide concern over jet fuel supplies and costs amid the Iran war.
The airliner was founded in 2004 but only operated under its current name for three years. It operated flights from Gatwick Airport and Stansted Airport in London, supplying jets as a ‘wet-lease’ carrier to other airliners including Oman Air, Air Sierra Leone and TUI Airways.
As reported by Metro, Ascend Airways has given up its UK Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC), a document that every airline needs in order to operate commercial flights in the UK. According to company insiders, an email was sent to staff which cited economic pressures, including the impact of the conflict in Iran on the jet fuel crisis, for the shutdown.
Staff were then told that the airline would cease operations after their final flight with Oman Air had landed from Muscat at Stansted Airport on Thursday (April 30).
However, it has been confirmed the airline’s Malaysian arm will remain unaffected. The airline said in a LinkedIn post: “Ascend Airways Malaysia remains operationally stable, continues to meet all its contractual obligations and is progressing on-track with communicated expansion plans.”
A source previously 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.”
They added: “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.”
The situation has left staff concerned about their wages, with one saying: “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.”
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.
Ascend Airways has been contacted for comment.