Airline cancels all flights and travelers stranded, no bankruptcy | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

As many countries around the world face an economic downturn, a number of holiday, regional and even national airlines have all had to file for bankruptcy and close down operations.

Since December 7, flag carrier Air Albania has not operated any flights after main investor Turkish Airlines announced plans to sell its 49% stake in the airline serving the small Balkan nation.

Other airlines that shut down operations in the second half of 2025 include British regional carriers Eastern Airways and Blue Islands, as well as Iceland’s Play Airlines and Sweden’s Braathens Aviation.

Air Antilles working to restart after regulatory agency grounds flights

In the U.S., charter carriers Verijet and Corporate Air as well as Alaska-based Kenai Aviation all filed for bankruptcy and shut down operations between October and November.

Launched in 2002 to serve the Caribbean archipelago of French Antilles (also known as the French West Indies), Air Antilles has also not been operating any flights since December 9 after French aviation regulatory agency Direction de la Sécurité de l’Aviation Civile temporarily revoked the carrier’s operating license.

The suspension came as a result of a safety audit of the airline serving the French overseas territories and, as of the weekend of December 13, anyone going to the Air Antilles website is presented with a pop-up stating that all flights “have been temporarily suspended until further notice.”

The airline goes on to thank customers for their “understanding and patience during this exceptional situation” and asks them to “regularly check your emails and phone for the latest information regarding your trip.”

Based out of Pointe-à-Pitre International Airport in Guadeloupe (PTP), Air Antilles also flew between Antilles territories such as Martinique, Saint-Barthélemy, and Saint-Martin as well as more distant Caribbean islands like Antigua, Barbados, and the Dominican Republic.

Air Antilles is a French airline serving the Caribbean archipelago and overseas territories.

Air Antilles

For those affected by canceled Air Antilles flights in French West Indies, here is the latest

With the islands making up The Antilles currently at the very start of their peak holiday season, hundreds of travelers on different islands have been facing uncertainty about both getting to their vacation destination and getting back home from more remote areas through a transfer in Guadeloupe.

These airlines filed for bankruptcy in 2025:

Spirit Airlines (Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc.): Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time on August 29,2025.
Ravn Alaska: Ceased operations in August 2025 after earlier Chapter 11 proceedings; shut down flights and folded into other operations like New Pacific.
Corporate Air: Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (restructuring) in September 2025 as part of a planned sale.
Play Airlines: The Reykjavik-based airline shut down operations and entered involuntary bankruptcy in September 2025.
Braathens Airlines:Forced to file for bankruptcy and canceled all flights in September 2025.

As reported by France’s Le Monde, some of the affected travelers have been rebooked on flights operated by fellow Guadeloupe competitor Air Caraïbes for transfers to Pointe-à-Pitre.

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With no timeline on when the first flights on the airline’s fleet of four ATR 42 and DHC-6 Twin Otter regional jets will resume, Air Antilles is currently working on a plan to address the safety issues that led to the revoked license, according to ch-aviation.

The issues raised by the audit conducted between Dec. 2 and 4 concern the airline’s management system overseeing central flight operations, Saint Martin News Network reported.

The airline also faces significant funding problems; the operating license was recently extended only until January 31, 2026 as it looks for new funding sources.