Eastern Airways, the Humberside-based regional airline, has stopped ticket sales, and all flights have been cancelled. The UK airline is fighting to stay in the air, putting more than 800,000 customers at risk.
The airline filed “notice of intention to appoint an administrator” a legal document that gives them 10 days of protection from creditors, to find an alternative to liquidation
The airline was launched in 1997, carrying 1.3million passengers each year on several domestic airports in the UK, including Aberdeen, Humberside, London Gatwick, Newquay, Teesside International and Wick.
The routes affected are:
- Humberside – Aberdeen
- Aberdeen – Wick
- Aberdeen – Teesside
- Newquay – London Gatwick
What is the current situation regarding tickets?
Anyone looking to buy a ticket online will see the following message: “Unfortunately, there is no availability on the route selected”. Anyone who already has a ticket for an Eastern Airways is unlikely to see their flight take off.
If you have flown one leg and are waiting to return – for example, flying Gatwick to Newquay and wish to fly back – you will need to find an alternative. Ryanair flies from Newquay to Stansted however flights to the other airports on their routes cannot be replaced easily. LNER runs trains to Durham and Doncaster, from where you can connect to those airports.
Can I get a refund for a forward booking?
If you have paid for your ticket directly with Eastern Airways using a credit or debit card, you can contact the card issuer. You will find the number on the reverse of the card. Amounts of of than £100 are usually reclaimable. Amounts less than £100 bought with a credit card, are covered by the “chargeback” policy. This is not legally binding, but credit cards companies generally offer this voluntarily. If you have paid by Paypal contact them directly. Passengers who booked through a travel agent should contact them to secure a refund.