Wijet files for administration of UK subsidiary Blink
Wijet, the France-based charter operator, has filed for administration for its UK subsidiary Blink.
An email sent to employees said: “Under the current circumstances there is no possibility to run a profitable business based on our sales and operations.”
Although the company had a small fleet of Citation Mustang aircraft, it purchased UK-Based operator Blink in 2016, becoming Europe’s largest VLJ operator.
In the email, the company says that it has not paid its UK workforce, and is unsure if they will be able to pay them. It also confirms that the situation is the same for its France-based employees.
The UK administrators will be meeting with the UK staff at Blackbushe airport at 13:00 on July 2.
Earlier in 2018 it placed an order for 18 HondaJet aircraft, with a view to replacing its own Citation Mustang’s, as well as those of Blink.
In a statement the Wijet says it will soon surrender its UK AOC, and said that its decision was in part driven by Brexit.
“Owning an Airline Certificate, especially in view of the Brexit, is not a competitive advantage. Further, the competitive landscape is moving fast with new business models being introduced over the last 18 months. We had to adjust”, said Jean François Hochenauer, member of the executive board of Wijet Holdings.
