It is understood that more than 300 employees were made redundantEthan Blackshaw, Antonio Scancariello and Annabal Bagdi Senior reporter
11:23, 21 Mar 2026
An airline went into administration(Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
A UK airline which has been in business since 1997 has fallen into administration.
Eastern Airways first suspended operations last October before entering administration in November, with all of its flights scrapped.
It had been based at Humberside Airport, in North Lincolnshire, and operated regional services from airports across the UK.
Eastern Airways had services across Europe and Ireland.
Administrators said the airline was left with a cost base which was ‘too high to be sustainable’ after a contract to operate services for Dutch airline KLM was ended.
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Speaking to the BBC at the time, Jamie Miller from RSM UK Restructuring Advisory, who was appointed joint administrator, said enough staff had been retained to maintain the fleet while they sought to rescue some or all of the airline’s operations.
He added: “We would welcome any interest from potential alternative operators, or those who may have an interest in the underlying assets.”
Eastern Airways had been operating four aircraft for KLM Cityhopper in Europe, RSM said.
But when this contract was terminated, it had left Eastern Airways with ‘high fixed overheads and a staff base that has ultimately proved too high to be sustainable’.
The majority of its 330 staff were reportedly made redundant, Mirror reports.
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According to Travel Weekly, Mr Miller also said: “It is extremely sad that such a long established and historically successful independent airline, one of the few remaining in the UK, has had to enter administration.
“The unexpected and sudden termination of Eastern’s KLM contract, along with other economic factors, unfortunately left the directors with no choice but to appoint administrators.
“At its peak, Eastern was an award-winning airline providing 200 flights per day.
“They also provided valuable services on public service obligation (PSO) routes and supported energy critical services to the oil and gas sector.”
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