It has emerged that Monarch Airlines, which went bankrupt in 2017, has got a new website, hinting that they may be coming back to the skies of the UK!
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Under the new website https://letsmonarch.co.uk, the website basically states that they are “working hard building a brand new Monarch just for you”.
Other than that, it has given information about the company numbers, which include Monarch Airlines Limited and Monarch Holidays Limited too!
Monarch Plans To Be Operational This Year…
@SPD_Travels on Twitter has stated that they aim to start up operations within this year, despite not having an Air Operator’s Certificate filed.
If they do get their AOC and become operational, then this will add in both benefits but also add some potential complexities in terms of competition.
Since their bankruptcy in 2017, TUI and Jet2 have been able to occupy the space, especially after the Thomas Cook bankruptcy as well.
On the website, there isn’t that much information other than what has been described, as many questions will still need to be answered on the relaunch of Monarch.
For example: What aircraft will they be using? Where will they be sourcing them from?
As a timeline, looking on Companies House, the new Monarch Airlines Limited was setup in January 2023, with yesterday being the assignment of directors and setting up a registered office, which is looking to be in Luton at present.
The Chairman of the Board looks to be Daniel Ellingham, who based on his LinkedIn profile was appointed this position last month.
His other airline experience consisted of being an advisor to the board at Swissair between January 1991 and March 1999, as well as being in the same role for Austrian Airlines between 2003-2005.
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Looking ahead, it’s going to be interesting to see how much further this develops from a basic website screen currently.
If launched right, it could very well provide some pressure on Jet2 and TUI, especially from a pricing point of view moving forward.
But for now, this remains a developing story, and we will continue to update you as we receive such information.
The Airline Answered Some of Our Questions!
UPDATE #1 @ 1934 UK time – AviationSource approached Monarch for a comment on the following seven questions?:
- From the limited knowledge we have at our side, the registered office has changed to Luton. Does this mean Monarch will be starting operations out of that airport?
- There have been two companies opened up: One for the airline, and one for the holiday side of things. Will Monarch be launching both at the same time?
- On the airline side of things, does Monarch intend on restarting operations with the Airbus A320/A321? Or will there be different aircraft types for this relaunch?
- Is the idea to restore the route network to pre-bankruptcy, such as Manchester, Birmingham etc.?
- There is heavy competition in the UK travel industry, with TUI & Jet2 holding the duopoly currently. How will the new Monarch aim to change that dynamic?
- What will be the initial market focus (If you can tell us that)?
- What would you like to say to our readers regarding the relaunch of Monarch?
The responses from a spokesperson were as follows:
- The office address currently registered is not yet operational. I cannot comment on the bases of operations.
- The companies were initially registered by a party wholly separate to ours which was doing so for sentimental value. As of yesterday we had ownership of both companies transferred to us solely to cover all grounds.
- Again, I cannot yet comment on this.
- The network will be subject to ongoing discussions and cannot be disclosed at this time.
- The new company will focus on sustainable tourism as a USP.
- As above, the sustainability aspect will be our key USP – we are aiming for the higher end of UK all inclusive travel.
- We would like to tell them to watch this space – a lot more is coming!
UPDATE #2 @ 2047 UK time – @harrisons0482 on Twitter showing what the Monarch website looked like back in July 2023, when this was under the ownership of the now resigned director Jake Johnson Charles.
UPDATE #3 @ 2051 UK time – In the last 30 minutes, the new Monarch has put out a statement regarding the following:
“Monarch Airlines Limited and Monarch Holidays Limited were yesterday passed into new ownership following the exit of the companies’ founder and previous majority shareholder. More information will be forthcoming.”
UPDATE #4 @ 2054 UK time – The only other tweet placed by the carrier was back in January this year.
UPDATE #5 @ 20/8/23 @ 0751 UK time – More details have been revealed overnight. Click here to read out follow-up piece on Monarch restarting operations!
Did you know AviationSource has two newsletters? One covers the general news and analysis of the industry as a whole, and the other to do with emergencies that take place throughout the year! To subscribe to our General News Newsletter, CLICK HERE! To subscribe to our Emergencies, Accidents & Incidents Newsletter, CLICK HERE!
