Following the recent failure of the Thomas Cook travel firm which had gradually grown to the point they had operated their own airline, the Chief Executive of Ryan Air, Michael O’Leary, suggests that this is just the beginning of several more European airline failures. The Thomas Cook failure left more than 140,000 people stranded away from home.
According to the airline consulting firm IBA, 2019 has been the year for the greatest increase in airline failures. They see external factors such as the strength of the US dollar and higher fuel costs putting pressure on smaller airlines.
Adding to the financial pressures on airlines, according to O’Leary, the proposed increases in environmental taxes and levies on the air transport industry by European countries “will contribute to additional airline failures.”
In addition to the recent failures of France’s Aigle Azur and XL Airways and Adria of Slovenia, there are industry anticipations that more airlines will collapse in the months ahead.