Turkish carrier, AtlasGlobal, has announced that it will suspend operations again. This comes after the carrier suspended operations in late 2019 due to financial difficulties. Until February 9, 2020, AtlasGlobal will not operate any scheduled flights.

AtlasGlobal to suspend operations again

The Turkish carrier will not operate any flights until February 9th, 2020. It is unclear exactly what has led to this second suspension of flights.

At the end of 2019, it appeared that AtlasGlobal had saved itself from collapse. The airline announced in November that it would suspend flight operations due to financial difficulties. Then, the airline appeared to recover and announced that it would resume flights. This kept the carrier flying into 2020. However, in early January, the carrier again announced a suspension of routes to London, Amsterdam, and Paris. 

What is happening with AtlasGlobal?

Aviation in Turkey is dominated by Turkish Airlines. The flag carrier offers an impressive route network that caters to both local passengers and international connecting passengers. And, the airline has plenty of room to grow thanks to a new Istanbul Airport and restrictions on competitor operations in Istanbul.

These factors make it incredibly difficult for another carrier to enter the market and grow. For a while, AtlasGlobal appeared to hold its own in Turkey. However, the Istanbul-based carrier continues to face challenges.

AtlasGlobal
AtlasGlobal previously appeared to hold its own in Istanbul, however, it doesn't appear that way anymore. Photo: Lars Steffens via Flickr

With the resumption of flights, AtlasGlobal appeared to restructure some business plans. This saw the carrier announce it would move more towards charter operations. Charter flights can be a way for an airline to stay afloat as it comes with a bit more regularity and less volatility. Although, focusing on charter operations comes with no guarantee that the airline will be able to maintain financial stability.

What has impacted AtlasGlobal?

Turkey has seen a few big events in recent years that have impacted air carriers. First, there were safety concerns in Turkey due to a coup attempt in 2016. These were exacerbated after some high profile terrorist incidents including several bombings and shootings.

After that, some economic strains, including fluctuations in the Turkish Lira, started to take a toll on airlines. While the large and well-known Turkish Airlines was able to survive this, smaller AtlasGlobal appears to have suffered a little more.

Atlasglobal
Turkey has been mired by a number of events in the past few years that have negatively impacted air travel. Photo: Alec Wilson via Flickr

Overall

It is unclear exactly what AtlasGlobal hopes to achieve in the midst of this flight suspension. It could be that the carrier is seeking additional funds to maintain operations. Or else, the carrier could be preparing to launch with a new business plan. For now, however, it is a wait-and-watch situation with AtlasGlobal. Hopefully, however, the carrier can come back in full force.

Have you been affected by this latest flight suspension from AtlasGlobal? Let us know in the comments!