Call for 'virtual airlines' to be outlawed after collapse of Citywing

After the collapse of Citywing, which sold flights on a range of UK and Isle of Man services, a senior aviation figure has demanded an end to the concept of a “virtual airline”. Citywing flights ceased on Saturday onwards after going into liquidation. It had no aircraft and employed no flight crew. Instead it sold seats on flights that were operated by another carrier. Until last month, the airline used was Van Air Europe, based in the Czech Republic. But on 23 February, the day Storm Doris swept across the British Isles, a Van Air plane was involved in what the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) calls “an incident” at Ronaldsway airport on the Isle of Man. The following day, all Van Air’s UK route licences were cancelled. It is understood the authority was concerned about decisions to attempt landings in weather below safe minima on an Isle of Man-Belfast flight. After the grounding, Citywing chartered a Danish airline, North Flying Airport Service, to shuttle between Cardiff and Valley airport in Anglesey – a heavily subsidised route connecting the far north-west of Wales with the capital. It also used Spirit Airlines on some routes to and from the Isle of Man. But after limping on for two weeks, Citywing issued a statement announcing its closure: “The company has tried to offer a service whilst suffering considerable losses but these have proved unfortunately to be commercially unsustainable.”<br/>