Nothing seemed out of the ordinary yesterday: hundreds of passengers were planning their trips, packing their bags, checking their tickets on their phones. But this morning everything changed. One of the key carriers of the British Isles suddenly plunged into financial chaos.
The first alarm came from passengers — the departure board lit up with the chilling word “cancelled” on every single flight.
People stood in shock, queuing at the check-in desks, but there was no one there to explain what had happened. No announcements, no warnings — just silence and frozen booking systems.
Aviation experts have already called it “the most dramatic regional collapse in recent years.” The media exploded with speculation: what could have brought down a company that had connected the islands with Britain for over two decades?
And only by midday did an official confirmation appear — one that hit like a cold wave: the airline in crisis is the Channel Islands–based carrier Blue Islands, a company that had long served as a vital lifeline between the islands and the UK mainland.
The airline immediately ceased operations and cancelled all flights. On its website, a brief but stunning announcement appeared:
“Blue Islands has suspended trading effective on 14 November 2025. All future flights have been cancelled. Please do not travel to the airport unless you have made alternative travel arrangements.”
The company, which employed around 100 staff and operated a fleet of five ATR-72 aircraft, shut down in a single day. Thousands of people with advance bookings were urged to contact their bank or payment provider to seek refunds.
The Jersey government, which had previously provided £8.5 million in funding to the carrier, confirmed that £7 million of that amount was still outstanding. Jersey’s Minister for Treasury and Resources, Elaine Millar, expressed her sympathy for employees and passengers:
“My thoughts are with those who lost their jobs today and those whose travel plans have been thrown into chaos. Support for Jersey-based staff is already available.”
In response to the crisis, other regional airlines — Aurigny and Loganair — swiftly added additional flights to assist stranded passengers. Loganair announced new services beginning Sunday, while Aurigny introduced special fares and temporary replacement flights “at least until Wednesday.”
Ports of Jersey described the situation as “another sad day for regional aviation” — especially since this marks the second airline collapse in less than three weeks, following Eastern Airways’ shutdown in late October.
