Doubts over resurrection of Monarch Airlines relaunch

Plans to resurrect Monarch Airlines six years after it collapsed have been put in doubt.

A company named Monarch Airlines Limited has been registered at Companies House, and a website and social media activity began earlier this month, pledging to “usher in a new era for one of the UK’s favourite travel brands”.

On Thursday, a statement on the website letsmonarch.co.uk said the relaunch had been halted due to a lack of funds.

But a post on the Instagram account @letsmonarchairlines insisted “we are not ceasing planning” and hopes to restart flights from summer 2024.

Both the website and Instagram account claim to be legitimate.

The Civil Aviation Authority said it has not received an application for permission to fly commercial in the UK from Monarch Airlines Limited.

Such an application would usually take at least 18 months to be considered.

When the original Monarch Airlines collapsed in October 2017, it was Britain’s fifth-largest airline carrying up to six million passengers a year.