Between the high cost of jet fuel and regular challenges facing a notoriously expensive industry, multiple smaller and charter airlines have faced financial challenges over the last few months, to the point of having to shut down.
Launched in 1988 out of a general and charter airport in the affluent Lisbon coastal suburb of Cascais, Portuguese charter airline OMNI Aviação provided both chartered private jet flights to its wealthy residents and general aviation services such as air ambulance transfers to the local municipality.
In September 2026, the airline entered insolvency proceedings in Portuguese court and subsequently had its air operator’s certificate (AOC) suspended by the local aviation authority due to an unviable financial situation.
Portuguese charter airline OMNI Aviação loses AOC in insolvency
The AOC is the regulatory approval that a commercial airline needs to run flights and sell tickets to passengers. Without it, an airline is unable to legally get off the ground, and the license can either be temporarily suspended or permanently revoked.
According to the latest reporting from Swiss aviation news outlet ch-aviation, OMNI Aviação has now had its AOC permanently revoked by the Autoridade Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC).
Related: Another airline in bankruptcy, all flights canceled
While few details around the details of the case are publicly available (OMNI Aviaçao could not be immediately reached for comment on its situation), this looks to be the final page for an airline that was at one point one of the most recognized private jet operators in Portugal.
The airline had previously requested a temporary AOC suspension from ANAC; it is unclear what ultimately led to the permanent revocation.
What is happening with Portuguese charter airline OMNI Aviação
Airlines that have similarly lost their AOCs since the start of 2026 include British charter carrier Pen-Avia, Brazilian airline Total Linhas Aéreas, Austrian airline Mali Air, Westair Aviation in Ireland, and AirAiles in France.
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American charter seaplane airline Tailwind Air ran into a similar problem of branding itself as a luxury transportation provider but then struggling to bring in the necessary traffic. It had run charter routes between Northeastern cities such as New York and Boston to remain in business, but the seaplane operator lost its AOC in January 2025.
Airlines that lost their AOCs in 2026:
- Izhavia: The Russian regional airline had its AOC revoked by the country’s aviation regulatory agency in July 2026 as Western sanctions over Russia’s war in Ukraine left the country’s aviation industry crippled by a lack of Western parts and a reduced ability to ensure maintenance standards.
- Bestfly Aircraft Management Aruba: The Caribbean branch of the African charter airline Bestfly Aircraft Management Aruba lost its AOC in May 2026. The Aruban branch was established in 2017 to run flights between the Caribbean countries of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao.
- Starflite Aviation: The Houston-based carrier had its AOC license revoked in March 2026, amid FAA claims that owners falsified pilot training records to bypass safety audits.
- AlpAvia: The Slovenian charter airline also shut down and lost its license in March 2026 over financial problems.
