A budget airline offering routes to destinations including China, Hong Kong, and the Philippines has collapsed into administration, leading to the scrapping of more than 4,000 flights.
Royal Air Philippines is a low-cost carrier established in the Philippines that began serving passengers in 2018.
The carrier operates domestic flights within the Philippines alongside international services to various Asian countries, among them Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, and Taiwan.
The company traces its origins back to 2002, when it functioned as a charter operation under the name Royal Air Charter Service. It secured a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity from the Civil Aeronautics Board in 2017, which permitted it to launch scheduled commercial flights the following year.
According to Alternative Airlines, the carrier had grown its fleet by 2020 through the addition of Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft, enabling it to accommodate greater passenger numbers and introduce longer-distance routes.
Royal Air Philippines enters administration with 4,000 flights cancelled
Royal Air Philippines has now entered administration, with roughly 4,000 services scheduled between January and March 2026 being cancelled as a consequence.
The carrier is currently endeavouring to process refunds for impacted travellers, as reported by the Daily Express.
The airline’s website previously stated that it was working on providing refunds and hoped to resume flights at an unspecified date in the future, thanking visitors for their patience and understanding while expressing anticipation of welcoming passengers aboard again soon.
The Royal Air Philippines website can no longer be reached, with visitors instead encountering a message indicating the site would be ready when needed alongside an animated loading symbol.
The demise of Royal Air Philippines has been linked to falling passenger numbers in recent years, according to Philstar Global.
It noted that Royal Air showed signs of partial recovery in 2023 and 2024, when it flew 100,323 and 116,324 international passengers, respectively. However, the carrier transported only 51,764 passengers in the nine months to September 2025, indicating a slowdown. The situation was more severe domestically, where Royal Air experienced a 63 percent decline in passenger traffic to 38,845 in 2024, down from 104,473 in 2023.
UK airlines that have entered liquidation recently
Royal Air Philippines is not the sole carrier to have ceased operations, with numerous British carriers also entering liquidation recently.
EcoJet Airlines, promoted as the world’s first Electric Airline, entered liquidation in February following just three years of trading, resulting in all scheduled services being cancelled.
Three additional British carriers entered liquidation in 2025, according to the UK Civil Aviation Authority:
Blue Islands Limited (November)
Air Kilroe Limited trading as Eastern Airways (November)
Play Airlines (September)
Meanwhile, four British travel businesses have also stopped trading in 2026, resulting in flights and holiday packages to worldwide destinations being cancelled.
The four British travel companies that have closed in 2026 (so far) are:
Regen Central Ltd
Gold Crest Holidays
Asiara UK Ltd
Simply Florida Travel Ltd
All four have ceased trading, according to Companies House, and have had their Air Travel Organiser’s Licence revoked.