UK airline Blue Islands suspends operations, cancels all flights

In an unexpected about turn, UK's Blue Islands airline shut down its operations, suspected trading and cancelled all its flights on Friday.

It was particularly shocking for those with tickets because just a day earlier it had put out a call for staff including pilots, engineers and head of cabin crew.

The airline wrote on its website: "We regret to inform you that Blue Islands has suspended trading effective on 14 November 2025. All future flights operated by Blue Islands have been cancelled."

It went on to warn passengers to not make a trip to the airport if they didn’t have alternative travel arrangements.

It told customers: "We deeply regret the inconvenience that this will bring to your travel plans".

The regional airlines was Channel Islands-based, and had hubs in Jersey and Guernsey.

It employed about 100 people.

Guernsey Hospitality Association’s president and director Alan Sillett wrote on social media: "Tonight's news should be a real wake-up call. Guernsey's air links model is likely to go from an 85% monopoly to a 100% monopoly.

"This shows our lack of resilience. We need major airlines to enter the market. Regional airlines are very fragile unless they have a bailout option."

A spokesperson for Blue Islands added: "After 26 years of serving the Channel Islands, we deeply regret that Blue Islands has this evening suspended its operations.

"After very constructive dialogue with the government of Jersey in recent months, including what we understood to have been ongoing assessments of the future options, we were informed this afternoon that they are unable to provide further support.

"This has meant that we now need to suspend flying immediately whilst we consider the options available and how we can help our customers, staff and stakeholders."