Yes. AirExplore, a charter airline based in Bratislava, Slovakia, ceased operations on November 10 and has asked to surrender its air operator certificate, the license an airline needs to fly. The company says so in a notice on its own website, and the shutdown was reported by Aerospace Global News and the German aviation site Aerotelegraph.
What kind of airline was AirExplore?
AirExplore was not an airline most people bought tickets from. It specialized in ACMI or “wet lease” flying: it supplied a plane with its own crew, maintenance and insurance to other airlines and tour operators, which sold the seats under their own names. Its partners included major European airlines, which Aerospace Global News did not name. It also ran charter and cargo flights.
Founded in 2008, it began wet-lease flying in 2010 with a single Boeing 737-400, and was bought by the Lithuania-based Avia Solutions Group in June 2023, Aerospace Global News reported.
Why did AirExplore shut down?
The company’s notice gives no reason. The business had been shrinking and losing money:
- AirExplore lost money in 2024 and 2025, Aerotelegraph reported. Hungarian site Airportal put the 2025 net loss at €22.4 million, nearly double the €12 million lost in 2024, and said its cargo flights were unprofitable because of low freight rates and high fuel costs.
- It had planned to cut 109 of its more than 160 jobs, citing a clear fall in flying, Aerotelegraph said.
- By the end it had only three Boeing 737-800s, now in storage awaiting disposal, after the rest of the fleet was wound down during 2026, according to Aerospace Global News, citing Planespotters.net. Airportal said it returned two 737-800s early, sold another and withdrew two freighters.
In February, its owner put AirExplore under the same management as KlasJet, a Lithuanian charter airline in the same group, with AirExplore meant to keep its own identity and focus on wet leasing, Aerospace Global News reported. That plan did not save it.
Is it part of a wider pattern?
AirExplore is the latest airline in or recently sold by Avia Solutions Group to stop flying. Icelandic cargo carrier Bluebird Nordic stopped in April 2024, Latvia’s SmartLynx stopped commercial flying in November 2025 after being sold, and the UK’s Ascend Airways said in April 2026 it would give up its license, according to Aerospace Global News.
What it means if you were flying with them
Because AirExplore flew on behalf of other companies, a traveler would normally have booked with an airline or tour operator, not with AirExplore. Its notice offers no instructions for passengers, such as refunds or rebooking, and only lists an email contact. Anyone holding a booking on a flight that was due to be operated by AirExplore would need to ask the company that sold the ticket.
What we don’t know
- Which airlines or tour operators were still using AirExplore planes when it stopped, and whether any flights were canceled as a result.
- What happens to its remaining staff.
