Imagine having your travel plans suddenly vanish. That’s the harsh reality for thousands of passengers after Royal Air Philippines, a carrier operating for over two decades, abruptly cancelled every single flight and entered liquidation. This marks the first airline to formally cease operations this year, sending shockwaves through the travel industry.
The sudden announcement on January 4th left an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 travelers holding tickets for flights between January and March 2026, scrambling for alternative options. While the airline’s website vaguely promises refunds and expresses a hope to “resume flights at an unspecified date,” the immediate future looks incredibly uncertain. For now, Royal Air simply won’t be flying customers.
So, what caused this dramatic grounding? The Manila-based airline, known for its low-cost model, faced insurmountable challenges due to a significant decline in its primary market of Chinese and Korean tourists. This economic headwind severely impacted its passenger numbers, with international traffic sliding and domestic flights plummeting by a staggering 63 percent in the first nine months of 2025.
Royal Air Philippines initially launched as a charter service in 2002, later transitioning to a low-cost carrier in 2018. Despite a brief period of expansion in 2023 and 2024, the airline, owned by the Cambodia-registered Lanmei Group, ultimately couldn’t weather the storm of changing market demands. Its once bustling routes, which included destinations like China, South Korea, and Hong Kong, now stand silent, bringing an unfortunate end to its journey in the skies.
Source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/2166451/major-airline-plunges-into-liquidation
