The primary airline of the 12 months has formally ceased operations.
Royal Air Philippines has plunged into liquidation (Picture: Getty)
A serious airline abruptly cancelled each single industrial flight on its schedule after plunging into liquidation. After greater than 20 years of companies Royal Air Philippines has change into the primary service to formally stop operations this 12 months.
On January 4, the airline confirmed that it was cancelling all of its industrial flights in a scenario that left between 3,000 and 4,000 travellers with tickets booked between January and March 2026 having to hunt out different journey choices. The airline’s web site says: “We’re engaged on offering refunds and hope to renew flights at an unspecified date sooner or later. Thanks to your endurance and understanding. We eagerly anticipate welcoming you aboard quickly.”
It appears Royal Air will not be flying prospects for the foreseeable. The airline, which is owned by Cambodia-registered Lanmei Group, has confronted mounting challenges in sustaining its low-cost enterprise mannequin as its core market of Chinese language and Korean vacationers steadily declined.
The airline’s weakening place turned evident within the first 9 months of 2025, as worldwide passenger numbers slipped to 51,800 and home visitors collapsed by 63 % to 38,800.
This reversal adopted a short enlargement in 2023 and 2024, throughout which passenger numbers rose to 100,000 and 116,000.
Royal Air Philippines launched in 2002 as a constitution service earlier than pivoting to a low-cost service mannequin in 2018. The airline flew its inaugural passenger flight 8 yearsa in the past between Cebu and Macau.
Primarily based in Manila, the constitution and cargo airline—extra generally often called Royal Air—acquired its license to function industrial flights in 2017 and quickly expanded its community.
The newest information from around the globe Subscribe Invalid electronic mail
We use your sign-up to supply content material in methods you’ve got consented to and to enhance our understanding of you. This will embrace adverts from us and third events primarily based on our understanding. You’ll be able to unsubscribe at any time. Learn our Privateness Coverage
At its peak, the airline served a number of worldwide locations, together with Cambodia, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Royal Air Philippines is owned by Lanmei Group, also called the Lancang-Mekong Group, a Cambodia-registered personal enterprise backed by Chinese language civil capital. The group is based and chaired by Li Kun, the previous president of Shenzhen Airways.
Leave a Reply