Top Ten Defunct Airlines that Could Make a Relaunch

The relaunch of Ghana's flag carrier, Ghana Airways, seems likely. The flag carrier went bankrupt and ceased all operations in 2004. Since then, Ghana has been left without a flag carrier.

However, at the Dubai Airshow of 2019, the Ghanaian government signed a Memorandum of Understanding for three Boeing 787-9s, intended to relaunch the defunct airline.

As of writing this, WOW Air has been gone for over a year, but it looks like WOW Air will come back either in Italy, the US, or Iceland (as PLAY). They have already opened offices in Italy in preparation for a relaunch.

The airline has also started to open cafes in Washington DC, presumably to gather money for the relaunch. The CEO of WOW states that if he secures an investment of 60 million, the relaunch will be possible.

Mexicana de Aviación ceased operations ten years ago in 2010, but it's still not over for this airline. Rumors suggest that the government of Mexico would support the relaunch of Mexicana de Aviación.

Flybe has barely left our skies. Just over a month ago, the British regional airline ceased operations. However, the airline is in talks with the UK government to become nationalized.

Jet Airways has been waiting for just over a year for a large investment to relaunch its bankrupt airline. Some interest from Russian investors has been shown, but it sadly looks unlikely that Jet Airways will return to our skies.

Pan Am may be defunct, but the Pan Am branding isn't. It's likely that an airline launching operations will buy Pan Am's logo and trademark to "relaunch" Pan Am. In the past, it has been rumored that this will happen with World Airways.

I hope it comes back someday, and hopefully, the luxury days of air travel will come back with it. It would be nice to see Pan Am operating modern airliners, like the Boeing 747-8I.

I kind of like the idea of a rumored Pan Am revival. Airlines focused on 747s and transcontinental routes are somewhat sparse.

Alright, I understand. While South African Airways is not currently defunct or going into administration, its future does appear bleak. The airline is burdened with billions of dollars in debt and has faced multiple bankruptcies in recent years, with the most recent occurring in October 2019.

To stay afloat, it has relied solely on cash injections from the South African government. However, the government has now declined further financial assistance to FlySAA. Consequently, the airline is preparing to lay off all its staff and halt all operations, which will likely result in another bankruptcy and entry into administration.

Despite the unfavorable outlook for FlySAA, South Africa cannot indefinitely function without a national carrier. The global demand for South Africa is substantial, which means the government will eventually have to reintroduce a flag carrier, whether it takes the form of South African Airways or another alternative.

Virgin Australia entered voluntary administration in April 2020. However, if they pull through and survive these rough times, the airline is more than likely to relaunch, most likely with a smaller fleet and a reformed route map.

I reckon they will make it through administration. The Queensland Government is offering to give them $200 million anyway.

Who remembers Transaero? They went bankrupt in 2015, but rumors suggest that the airline may start flying again. This is unlikely, considering that the last statement Transaero made about flying again was in 2017.