Major UK airline plunges into liquidation - no more flights

A Scottish airline has abruptly halted all operations, with liquidators appointed by a court. Ecojet Airlines, an electric airline, has enlisted liquidators following an alleged attempt to raise £20 million. The company was established in 2023 by entrepreneur Dale Vince, who is also a notable Labour Party donor. Mr Vince made multiple donations to Labour totalling £5.5m between 2022 and 2024.

The airline had planned a route from Edinburgh to Southampton, with future aspirations for mainland Europe and long-haul flights. At the time of launch, Mr Vince stated: "This is a vital frontier in the move to net zero, green living, whatever you choose to call it - and it's absolutely doable. It's a matter of when, not if."

However, documents reveal that a petition was submitted to Edinburgh Sheriff Court "craving the court that Ecojet Airlines Limited be wound up by the court and joint interim liquidators appointed".

The Herald reports that Paul Dounis and Mark Harper, of Opus Restructuring, were appointed as provisional liquidators.

Opus confirmed the action followed a "voluntary liquidation initiated by the company's board".

It added: "Ecojet was a start-up business and has no material assets. The members have elected to fund the liquidation process to ensure that the company's employees receive their full statutory entitlements."

Ecojet Airlines was previously celebrated as "the world's first electric airline".

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Ecotricity declared on its website at the time of the launch: "The move marks the beginning of an aviation revolution by making net-zero, emission-free air travel possible for the first time.

"Ecojet's fleet will comprise conventional planes retrofitted with hydrogen-electric powertrains. Once converted, the aircraft will operate with the same power output as before, but with a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions.

"The decision to repurpose old planes rather than build new models from scratch will save 90,000 tonnes of carbon per year.

"The only byproduct will be water, which can be captured and released into the lower atmosphere to avoid the harmful effects of contrails."