Citywing goes into liquidation

[Arglwydd Golau]

The company that offers Anglesey-Cardiff daily flights (amongst others) has gone into liquidation. The subsidy paid by the Welsh Government to Citywing and its predecessor has been much discussed in relation to 'Y Gerallt Cymro' Holyhead - Cardiff service on the forum.
I wonder what will happen now.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-39241378Cardiff-Anglesey

An airline which operated flights between Cardiff and Anglesey has gone into liquidation.

Directors of Citywing said the decision was taken after Van Air's permission to fly to was suspended last month. All flights have been cancelled.

It also operated flights between Blackpool and the Isle of Man as well as from Gloucestershire Airport.

The airline ran flights between Cardiff and Holyhead during the week.

The service, which has been running since 2007, receives a £1.2m annual subsidy from the Welsh Government.

Some 8,937 passengers used the service between Valley and Cardiff Airport Between September 2015 and August 2016, which is the only domestic route within Wales.

Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies said it was a "sad end to a turbulent saga" and ministers should act to help workers affected by the loss of the service.

Company directors said customers should "not turn up at the airports" and advice would be given on refunds.

The Welsh Government said it was working with the operator and airports to minimise disruption to passengers.

Citywing tickets will be valid on train services out of Cardiff and from stations between Bangor and Holyhead.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) suspended Czech-registered Van Air's licence to fly in the UK following an incident in the Isle of Man.

Van Air had sub-contracted Danish operator North Flying for the short-term operation of the route.
'Commercially unsustainable'

A statement from Citywing said, following the loss of the licence, the company had found it difficult to source "suitable viable aircraft".

"The company has tried to offer a service whilst suffering considerable losses but these have proved unfortunately to be commercially unsustainable," it said.

"It is therefore with much sadness and deep regret that the directors of Citywing Aviation Services Limited have had to take the difficult decision...."

 

[me123]

Sad to see it go, I hadn't had the chance to use it and it sounded like a genuinely interesting experience. A completely barking mad venture from a commercial perspective, but one that I wish I'd used. I was hoping to at some point over the Summer, actually.

Any word on whether the WA will try to find another operator for the route?

 

[Hornet]

Not surprised after this:-

Van Air grounded over Storm Doris flight

Problems for Island-based Citywing have deepened, after its carrier Van Air Europe lost its Air Operators Certificate.

The suspension which has grounded the Czech-registered airline, has been confirmed by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

The move follows an incident last week (23 Feb) in which a Van Air Europe plane operating a flight for ticket seller Citywing, was forced to abandon its landing in Belfast due to deteriorating weather conditions.

The aircraft returned to the Island and landed safely, but was held on the runway for several hours, unable to taxi to the apron, due to the high winds.

All Van Air flights have been grounded since last Thursday and Citywing has had to operate a revised schedule using a second stand-in, Sprint Air.

today (1 March) the company published a further revised schedule for flights to Belfast, Gloucester and Glasgow over the next 48 hours.

Managing Director David Buck says they are working on a long term plan for flights and are refunding people as quickly as they can where appropriate, he has again apologised for the disruption to passengers' travel plans.

Anyone with urgent enquiries should contact Citywing’s Reservations on 0871 200 0440.

Used a Titan 737 to run some of their schedule.

23rd February 2017

STATEMENT ON INCIDENT ON THE 23rd OF FEBRUARY AND FLIGHT UPDATES FOR THE 24th OF FEBRUARY

Citywing can confirm that Van Air-operated flight 502 took off from the Isle of Man destined for Belfast on Thursday morning but returned due to deteriorating weather conditions in Northern Ireland.

Citywing have been advised by Van Air that the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has requested to speak with Van Air following the incident. Until such discussions take place, hopefully within the next 24-48 hours, the UK CAA has asked Van Air to stop flying. Unfortunately this means that all Citywing flights will be affected until further notice.

David Buck, Managing Director of Citywing said, “Passenger safety has to be the first priority and all such incidents are rightly investigated as a matter of routine. We are working with the flight operator Van Air and relevant authorities to resolve the situation as soon as possible.

Due to this operational disruption Van Air has chartered in a Stansted based Titan Airways 737 to operate the following flights.

V9514 IOM-BELFAST STD1400 STA1430 to accommodate all Isle of Man to Belfast passengers for the day.

V9515 BELFAST-IOM STD1510 STA1540 to accommodate all Belfast to Isle of Man passengers for the day.

V9814 IOM-NEWCASTLE STD1620 STA1655 to accommodate all Isle of Man to Newcastle, Isle of Man to Glasgow and all Isle of Man to Blackpool passengers. Passengers for Glasgow and Blackpool will be provided with surface transport to their destination.

“We apologise in advance for the disruption this will cause to travel plans. We will do our best to keep passengers informed and would ask for your patience and understanding as we deal with this difficult situation at short notice.”

In the first instance this only affects flights for the 24th of February. Citywing will endeavour to contact all passengers but this may take time so we request your patience and understanding. If you have an urgent question please contact our Reservations on tel no: 0871 200 0440 who will be available between 0900 and 1700.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS:
Citywing Aviation Services Ltd, “Citywing”, is an Isle of Man-based company arranging air services from the Isle of Man to Belfast, Blackpool, Glasgow, Newcastle, Gloucester and Jersey. Citywing and its partners employ 50 staff on the Island and carry in excess of 70,000 passengers per year.

Issued by Citywing.

Martin Norbury
Isle of Man Advertising and Public Relations Limited Tel: (01624) 620440
lfc84 is online now

Flew with them on their Belfast - IOM route a few years back on their LET410. The Storm Doris incident saw them flying IOM Belfast during the Storm. It tried to land at Belfast but failed, so diverted back to the IOM, where it landed in winds gusting to 50 knots. Wouldn't have enjoyed that flight!

 

[AlterEgo]

Virtual airlines are an absolute pox and I avoid them at all costs, even as an enthusiast looking for a "good cop".

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manx2_Flight_7100

 

[PHILIPE]

Airline Citywing which provides the Daily Service between Anglesey and Cardiff has gone into liquidation. This, like Gerald, is a Welsh Government funded service aimed at promoting travel between North and South Wales. All flights have been cancelled and tickets in respect of journeys next maybe used on ATW trains from stations from Holyhead to Bangor. The subsidy from the Welsh Government has had criticism, especially after another Airline ceased operating in the past and the Government stepped in to save flights.

 

[Rhydgaled]

Airline Citywing which provides the Daily Service between Anglesey and Cardiff has gone into liquidation. This, like Gerald, is a Welsh Government funded service aimed at promoting travel between North and South Wales. All flights have been cancelled and tickets in respect of journeys next maybe used on ATW trains from stations from Holyhead to Bangor. The subsidy from the Welsh Government has had criticism, especially after another Airline ceased operating in the past and the Government stepped in to save flights.

Isn't this the third (perhaps even fourth) airline operating the Cardiff-Valley flights to fail (one might have been a safety case issue rather than financial)?

 

[craigybagel]

Airline Citywing which provides the Daily Service between Anglesey and Cardiff has gone into liquidation. This, like Gerald, is a Welsh Government funded service aimed at promoting travel between North and South Wales. All flights have been cancelled and tickets in respect of journeys next maybe used on ATW trains from stations from Holyhead to Bangor. The subsidy from the Welsh Government has had criticism, especially after another Airline ceased operating in the past and the Government stepped in to save flights.

Wikipedia claims Eastern Airways will be resuming the service on March 13th but I can't find an official source for it.

 

[craigybagel]

Confirmed, Eastern Airways will take over the service on Monday.

http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-39241378

A new operator has been appointed to take over the Cardiff to Anglesey air service after the previous one went into liquidation.
Citywing was liquidated after Van Air's permission to fly was suspended.
But Economy Secretary Ken Skates said on Saturday evening that Eastern Airways would take over the route and there would be no disruption.
All tickets for the Cardiff-Anglesey Citywing service for travel next week will be honoured.
Before Mr Skates' announcement, all flights had been cancelled and passengers were told their Citywing tickets could instead be used on train services out of Cardiff and from stations between Bangor and Holyhead.

Anglesey to Cardiff flight times
The north to south Wales service, which has been running since 2007, receives a £1.2m annual subsidy from the Welsh Government.
Citywing ran flights between Cardiff and Anglesey Airport at Valley near Holyhead during the week.
Eastern Airways, formed 20 years ago and based at Humberside Airport, already has domestic services to Aberdeen, Newcastle, Stornoway and Wick John O'Groats from Cardiff.
It also flies to the Norwegian cities of Bergen and Stavanger from south Wales.
Some 8,937 passengers used the service between Valley and Cardiff Airport between September 2015 and August 2016.
Mr Skates said: "I am grateful to Eastern Airways, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Cardiff and Anglesey airports and the RAF at Valley for their support and help in making sure this necessary transition between providers has happened so quickly."
Passengers travelling next week have been asked to bring proof of their Citywing booking with them to the airport.
The CAA suspended Czech-registered Van Air's licence to fly in the UK following an incident in the Isle of Man.

Van Air had sub-contracted Danish operator North Flying for the short-term operation of the route.
Citywing said: "The company has tried to offer a service whilst suffering considerable losses but these have proved unfortunately to be commercially unsustainable.
"This decision has not been taken lightly and has been made to protect creditors.
"On behalf of all at Citywing, we all apologise for the inconvenience caused and thank you all for your support over the last four years."
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[Tetchytyke]

Citywing were run by the same people who ran Manx2. Manx2 were another "virtual airline" which disappeared into the ether when serious mistakes were made. At least the mistakes made by Citywing didn't kill anybody, unlike the Manx2 crash at Cork in 2011 which killed four passengers.

Shady as hell and good riddance to bad rubbish. No doubt they'll be back next week with a new name, debt free and evading their responsibilities again.

 

[richard1976]

Citywing were run by the same people who ran Manx2. Manx2 were another "virtual airline" which disappeared into the ether when serious mistakes were made. At least the mistakes made by Citywing didn't kill anybody, unlike the Manx2 crash at Cork in 2011 which killed four passengers.

Shady as hell and good riddance to bad rubbish. No doubt they'll be back next week with a new name, debt free and evading their responsibilities again.

But only if they can get another airline to run the services for them

 

[richard1976]

Confirmed, Eastern Airways will take over the service on Monday.

http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-39241378

Eastern airways have now taken on the Belfast and Newcastle routes as well

http://www.iomtoday.co.im/article.c...routes rescued&sectionIs=News&searchyear=2017

 

[507021]

Sad to see it go, I hadn't had the chance to use it and it sounded like a genuinely interesting experience. A completely barking mad venture from a commercial perspective, but one that I wish I'd used. I was hoping to at some point over the Summer, actually.

Any word on whether the WA will try to find another operator for the route?

I heard a lot of good things about them from friends and family who flew with Citywing, although like yourself I never got the chance to use the service.

 

[me123]

Confirmed, Eastern Airways will take over the service on Monday.

Yay!

Need to book a flight down for a day or two over the Summer. I understand that Eastern Airways have quite a good product (albeit quite expensive).

 

[berneyarms]

Yay!

Need to book a flight down for a day or two over the Summer. I understand that Eastern Airways have quite a good product (albeit quite expensive).

Presumably being a PSO service between Anglesey and Cardiff, the fares are set by the Welsh Government and not the airline.

 

[me123]

Here's hoping. Citywing's fares were pretty reasonable.

 

[LordCreed]

It's a shame, as I was very much looking forward to booking a flight from Gloucester airport. Doubt that'll happen now...

 

[Y961 XBU]

Has there been any news on the Blackpool to Isle of Man Flight? not normally into Planes but with it being the only flight out of the airport am going to keep an eye on it

 

[AlterEgo]

Has there been any news on the Blackpool to Isle of Man Flight? not normally into Planes but with it being the only flight out of the airport am going to keep an eye on it

Haven't heard about this but I expect it'll be too awkward for Eastern to run logistically.

 

[Flying Snail]

Here's hoping. Citywing's fares were pretty reasonable.

I should hope so considering each passenger was subsidised £135 per journey.

Combined with the full chef service on Gerald serving about a dozen people on a good day the WA really do know how to throw the cash around on vanity projects.

 

[me123]

Update:

Eastern Airways now selling flights on their website. Flights from Anglesey only go as far as Cardiff - you cannot connect directly onto T3's other flights at Cardiff (to Aberdeen or Newcastle). Fares starting from £12.99 one-way (£41 return in practice) with full onboard service and a baggage allowance (at 15kg, not great).

I need to give this a go at some point if/when I ever need to go to Cardiff. Looks an interesting wee trip.

 

[AlterEgo]

Update:

Eastern Airways now selling flights on their website. Flights from Anglesey only go as far as Cardiff - you cannot connect directly onto T3's other flights at Cardiff (to Aberdeen or Newcastle). Fares starting from £12.99 one-way (£41 return in practice) with full onboard service and a baggage allowance (at 15kg, not great).

I need to give this a go at some point if/when I ever need to go to Cardiff. Looks an interesting wee trip.

This is a great little trip. I recommend taking it from Anglesey to Cardiff - checkin, security and loading the aircraft are all done by the same person in a little civilian exclave of RAF Valley. Watch the Hawks take off while you wait for the aircraft to leave. It's a great experience which I recommend for anyone who appreciates an unusual trip now and then.

 

[PR1Berske]

From the Blackpool Gazette: "Blackpool to Isle of Man flights scrapped after company announces liquidates" {{sic}}

Source: http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/o...-after-company-announces-liquidates-1-8433681

The shock announcement comes less than two weeks after Van Air, which was contracted by Citywing to operate services between Blackpool and the Isle of Man, lost its route licence and the air operator says it hasn't been able to find a replacement.

The company was being forced to plan its schedules on a daily basis following the decision to stop Van Air Europe from flying in the UK. But despite trying to continue its service, "considerable losses" have forced the company to stop trading. Citywing says customers will be offered a refund on any purchased tickets.

A statement issued by Citywing said: "As a result of Van Air losing their route licenses on Friday, February 24, 2017, the company has found it difficult to source suitable viable aircraft to fulfil our contracts.

The company has tried to offer a service whilst suffering considerable losses but these have proved unfortunately to be commercially unsustainable.

"It is therefore with much sadness and deep regret that the Directors of Citywing Aviation Services Limited have had to take the difficult decision to close the company today and put the company into liquidation. This decision has not been taken lightly and has been made to protect creditors.

 

[AlterEgo]

Sad that Blackpool is now left, again, without any airline operations.

 

[WestCoast]

Sad that Blackpool is now left, again, without any airline operations.

Shame really, I lived near Blackpool Airport in the 90s and there was regular flights to the Isle of Man and Belfast, as well as weekly seasonal flights to Spain.