As summer holiday chaos looms, and the Iran war continues to dry up jet fuel supplies and send flight prices soaring, the UK's aviation industry is being decimated.
The Prime Minister even warned Brits may need to change their summer holiday plans because of the jet fuel crisis.
And now, in a string of closures, another British airline has gone bust - and it has blamed the ongoing Middle East war and increase in jet fuel prices for the situation.
Ascend Airways, which operated flights from major UK hubs such as Gatwick Airport and Stansted Airport, has cancelled all its flights effective immediately - with 161 jobs affected.
The 'wet-lease' carrier, a British ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) and charter airline, previously provided aircraft for other organisations.
This includes carriers such as Tui Airways, Oman Air and Air Sierra Leone.
But now the airline, part of Avia Solutions Group (ASG), has filed for administration and surrendered its UK air operator's certificate (AOC), according to The Sun.
Plus, it has returned its fleet of six Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft to its lessors, according to Economy Class And Beyond.
The Prime Minister has warned the jet fuel crisis may affect British holidaymakers
It comes as UK-based airline Ascend Airways has surrendered its operation certificate
It comes after another UK airline, Ecojet, entered liquidation just a few years after launching - and it never got a single plane in the air.
The Scottish carrier was founded by controverisial British entrepreneur - andJust Stop Oil backer - Dale Vince in 2023 who had big plans for it to be the 'world's first electric airline'.
However, the airline has now closed down after it reportedly tried to raise £20million, according to the Express.
Ecojet had not yet launched any flights, but had planned routes between Southampton and Edinburgh on planes retrofitted with hydrogen-electric engines.
It also intended to spread its wings further afield to mainland Europe and had long-haul trips to the likes of the US and Asia as the ultimate goal.
Other airlines across Europe have been affected by the crisis, too, causing a knock-on effect in the UK.
German airline Lufthansa has axed 20,000 summer flights in Europe due to rising fuel prices making many journeys 'unprofitable'.
The 20,000 cancellations will affect hubs operating in Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Brussels and Rome and 'reduce the number of unprofitable short-haul flights'.
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It comes after Scottish carrier Ecojet stopped all of its flights and went bust
Lufthansa has axed 20,000 of its flights, affecting key hubs across Europe
Explaining the move, Lufthansa said jet fuel costs have 'doubled since the outbreak of the Iran conflict'.
On top of that, many airlines have announced that they will operate fewer flights to the UK.
Trade body Airlines UK said ministers have to make preparations now if they want to avoid disruption later, warning of the 'immediate impact on the UK aviation sector and UK consumers in the event disruption to jet fuel supply continues or worsens'.
KLM, Air Canada, Asiana Airlines, Delta Airlines and Lufthansa are among those who may run fewer routes to the country.
KLM, for example, has cancelled UK flights to major European destinations - with the airline saying it will overall operate 80 fewer return flights to and from Schiphol, which is less than 1 per cent of its European flights during that period.
This will include destinations KLM serves many times a day, including London.
Meanwhile, the Express reported the other airlines will reduce the number of flights operating in and out of the UK - although exact details and cancellations have not yet been confirmed.
As such, Sir Keir Starmer said people might need to rethink 'where they go on holiday this year' if the Iran war continues to impact airlines, which have already been raising fares and fees.
Plus, Dutch carrier KLM announced that it cancelled 160 flights in the next month
The jet fuel price increased from about $99 (£73) per barrel at the end of February to as high as $209 (£155) at the start of April – although it has fallen in recent weeks to $179 (£132), according to the latest International Air Transport Association data.
Some airlines have already begun hiking fares and reducing services because of their reliance on imported fuel, amid warnings a 'systemic' shortage could be on the way.
And Chris Harrington, managing director and travel expert at hoppa, says this spells disaster for smaller carriers in the UK.
Chris said: 'For those operating on thinner margins, this can be catastrophic.
'The sudden spike in fuel costs can wipe out profitability, and once you factor in weaker cash flow and ongoing disruption, it can become very difficult for these smaller airlines to stay afloat.
'The longer this continues, the more likely it is that other airlines will fall into liquidation, just like we’ve seen with Ascend Airways.
'In the travel industry, April is usually one of the peak months for summer holiday bookings, but I expect this year's data will show the opposite. With no signs of the conflict ending anytime soon, I predict disruption will continue further into the year.'
If, as Chris predicts, the war and jet fuel crisis continue, this might not be the end of the decimation of UK aviation.
The jet fuel crisis has affected airlines across Europe, with shortages and high prices
Chris Harrington, managing director and travel expert at hoppa, warned of the crisis affecting the UK aviation industry
Christian Petzold, travel and tourism expert at TheTeamTrip, also weighed in on the matter
On the one hand, the GOV.UK website says: 'UK airlines say that they are not currently seeing a shortage of jet fuel. The government is working with industry and international partners to keep passengers moving.
'There is no current need for passengers to change their travel plans. UK airlines buy jet fuel in advance, and airports maintain stocks to support their resilience.'
However, some airlines have still been reportedly affected as of late - and experts have warned the industry is seeing a huge impact.
So, why is this affecting the UK so badly?
Small airlines, or those with small margins, across the UK aviation sector are particularly vulnerable due to a combination of high external costs and structural weaknesses.
Christian Petzold, travel and tourism expert at TheTeamTrip, told the Daily Mail: 'Jet fuel prices have increased so much due to increasing external costs and the internal weakness in structural aspects of the UK aviation industry.
'Therefore, when you add these two together the threat to low margin carriers becomes extreme and this is the reason we see carriers struggling financially, collapsing or being sold off at auction.'
Differences between UK and European aviation have also underlined weaknesses - in conjunction with different aviation tax systems.
Christian added: 'Additionally, all UK-based airlines experience heavy regulatory/tax/airport cost burden than do many of its European competitor airlines.
'These differences will reduce the ability of UK airlines to absorb external shock impacts to their financial performance.'
Plus, he adds that already struggling airlines could crumble amid the ongoing war.
He said: 'Once a carrier loses sufficient liquidity, high jet fuel prices over an extended period may cause a company to fail and enter liquidation, similar to what was observed by recent failures of Ascend Airways.'
As a result, the closure of small airlines Ascend Airways and Ecojet is indicative of the crisis the UK aviation sector is under.
And, as the experts have warned, unless the war and jet fuel crisis ends soon, this may not be the end of the road.
The Daily Mail has contacted Ascend Airways for comment.
How are global airlines responding to the surge in jet fuel prices?
AEGEAN AIRLINES: The Greek airline expects suspended Middle East flights and a spike in fuel prices to have a 'notable impact' on its next results.
AIRASIA X: The Malaysian airline's executives said the company had cut 10% of flights across the group, with a surcharge of about 20% on fuel.
AIR FRANCE-KLM: The airline group said it planned to increase long-haul ticket prices to address surging fuel costs, with cabin fares set to rise by €50 (£44) per round trip.
AIR INDIA: The Indian flag carrier said it would revise its fuel surcharge from a flat domestic surcharge to a distance-based grid, as surcharges on international routes don't compensate for an exponential rise in jet fuel prices.
AIR NEW ZEALAND: The airline said on April 7 it would slash flights through May and June and hike fares, having been one of the first to confirm broad price increases when the war began.
AKASA AIR: India's Akasa Air said it was introducing a fuel surcharge ranging between 199 and 1,300 Indian rupees (£2 to £10) on domestic and international flights.
ALASKA AIR: The US airline said it will hike fees for the first checked bag by $5 (£4) and by $10 (£7) for the second on its North American flights, as well as for its Hawaiian Airlines unit. It increased prices for a third checked bag from $50 (£37) to $200 (£148).
AMERICAN AIRLINES: The US carrier said it would hike checked baggage fees by $10 (£7) each for the first and second checked bags and by $150 (£111) for the third checked bag on domestic and short-haul international flights. The airline also trimmed certain benefits for economy passengers.
CATHAY PACIFIC: The Hong Kong airline said it would cut some flight from mid-May until the end of June, cancelling about 2% of its scheduled passenger flights, while its budget airline HK Express is cutting around 6% of flights. The carrier previously said it would hike its fuel surcharge by 34% across routes from April 1 and review them every two weeks.
CEBU AIR: The Philippines-based airline said the sharp rise in fuel prices was a concern and it would continue to review its pricing and network strategies to mitigate the impact.
CHINA EASTERN AIRLINES: The airline said it would raise fuel surcharges for domestic flights from April 5, with flights of 800km and below hit with a 60 yuan (£6) surcharge and a 120 yuan (£13) surcharge for flights over 800km.
DELTA AIR LINES: Delta said it would cut capacity by around 3.5 percentage points from its original plan and raise fees for checked bags in an attempt to offset soaring jet fuel costs, with an increase of $10 (£7) on the price of first and second checked bags and a $50 (£37) increase on the third checked bag. The US airline pulled all planned capacity growth for the current quarter and forecast profit below Wall Street expectations.
EASYJET: EasyJet CEO Kenton Jarvis said European consumers should expect higher ticket prices towards the end of summer, when existing fuel hedges come to an end.
FRONTIER AIRLINES: The US airline is reviewing its full-year forecast as fuel prices have increased significantly since it issued the outlook.
GREATER BAY AIRLINES: The Hong Kong-based company said it would raise fuel surcharges on most routes from April 1, while keeping them unchanged on mainland China and Japan routes. Its surcharge for flights between Hong Kong and the Philippines will more than double.
HONG KONG AIRLINES: The airline said it would raise fuel surcharges by up to 35% from March 12, with the sharpest increase on flights between Hong Kong and the Maldives, Bangladesh and Nepal, where charges would rise to HK$384 (£36) from HK$284 (£27).
IAG: British Airways-owner IAG said on March 10 it did not plan to increase ticket prices immediately, as it has hedged much of its fuel for the short- to medium-term.
INDIGO: India's biggest airline said it would introduce fuel charges on domestic and international flights from March 14, including a charge of 900 rupees (£7) for flights to the Middle East and a charge of 2,300 rupees (£18) for flights to Europe.
JETBLUE AIRWAYS: The US-based low-cost carrier said it was increasing fees for optional services such as checked baggage as it experiences 'rising operating costs'. Baggage prices will rise by either $4 (£3) or $9 (£7), it said.
KOREAN AIR: The South Korean flag carrier will enter emergency management mode from April, as rising oil prices weigh on costs, a source told Reuters. The airline plans to implement phased response measures based on oil price levels, and step up company-wide cost efficiency to offset surging fuel costs.
PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES: The carrier said it would raise domestic flight fares by $20 (£15) and international fares by up to $100 (£74), citing higher fuel surcharges.
QANTAS AIRWAYS: Australia's Qantas said it had delayed a planned A$150million buyback and was raising its estimated fuel bill for the second half of 2026 to A$3.1bn-A$3.3bn, from a previous A$2.5bn forecast.
SAS: The Scandinavian airline said it would cancel 1,000 flights in April because of high oil and jet fuel prices, after cancelling a 'couple hundred' flights in March. SAS, which had already increased flight prices, said that even if it tried to absorb the rising fuel costs, the price surge would still be a blow to the aviation industry.
SPRING AIRLINES: The budget Chinese airline said it would raise fuel surcharges on domestic flights from April 5, with details to be announced later.
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES: The American carrier said it would hike checked baggage fees by $10 (£7) for the first and second bags, raising costs to $45 (£33) for the first bag and $55 (£41) for the second.
TAP: The Portuguese airline said its price hikes would partially mitigate the impact of fuel price changes on its revenue.
THAI AIRWAYS: The Thailand-based carrier said it would raise fares by 10% to 15% to address rising fuel costs.
TURKISH AIRLINES, LUFTHANSA: SunExpress, a joint venture between Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa, said it would impose a temporary fuel surcharge of €10 (£9) per passenger from May 1 on routes between Turkey and Europe. The surcharge will apply to bookings made on or after April 1 for departures on or after May 1.
T'WAY AIR: The South Korean low-cost carrier said on April 13 it plans to furlough some of its cabin crew without pay in May and June as part of its measures to address the impact of the war in the Middle East.
UNITED AIRLINES: The US airline is cutting unprofitable flights over the next two quarters as it prepares for oil prices to remain above $100 until the end of 2027, CEO Scott Kirby said. United has raised fares without materially hurting bookings in response to the rapid increase in oil and jet fuel prices, its Chief Commercial Officer said. The carrier is also increasing first and second checked bag fees by $10 (£7) for customers travelling in the US, Mexico and Canada and Latin America, it said.
VIETJET: The Vietnamese budget airline said it had adjusted flight frequency on selected routes due to potential fuel shortages.
VIETNAM AIRLINES: The carrier plans to cancel 23 flights per week across domestic routes from April, Vietnam's aviation authority said, after the airline requested government assistance to remove an environmental tax on jet fuel.
VIRGIN ATLANTIC: The airline is adding fuel surcharges to fares but will still struggle to return to profitability this year, its CEO Corneel Koster told the Financial Times.
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: Virgin Australia said it was adjusting fares to reflect rising cost pressures across the aviation sector, which it said were being significantly exacerbated by the situation in the Middle East.
WESTJET: The Canadian airline will add a C$60 (£32) fuel surcharge to some bookings and combine flights as costs soar.