Global Airlines ordered into compulsory liquidation by UK court

Global Airlines, the British startup that planned transatlantic services with Airbus A380s, has been ordered into compulsory liquidation by the Insolvency and Companies Court in the United Kingdom. According to AeroTime, the court granted a winding-up order on 4 November 2026, and a formal notice was published in The Gazette on 12 November 2026.

What the court ordered

The order followed a petition to wind up the company. AeroTime says it was filed in May 2026, while One Mile at a Time gives the date as 29 May 2026. AeroTime reports that several hearings took place in the following months, the latest understood to have been in October. Former Global Airlines directors Tom Stokely and Prashant Uttamchandani joined the case as supporting creditors, represented by the law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman, according to AeroTime.

One Mile at a Time notes that there is a gap of about a week between a decision and its appearance in public records, which explains the timing of the notice.

What happens next

Under a winding-up order, an officer of the court known as the Official Receiver takes charge of the company. AeroTime, citing UK government guidance, says the company's bank account will usually be frozen and its assets sold. One Mile at a Time says an Insolvency Service officer becomes liquidator, takes control from the directors, investigates the company's affairs and directors' conduct, and collects remaining assets for creditors.

AeroTime adds that a company can apply to cancel a winding-up order, but must do so within five working days of receiving it. On Companies House, Global Airlines still appeared as active, with overdue accounts, and founder James Asquith and two others were still listed as directors. AeroTime has approached the company for comment.

How the venture reached this point

Global Airlines announced its plan in 2021 to run a transatlantic carrier using A380s. It never obtained its own Air Operator Certificate. In May 2025 it ran a small number of charter flights between the UK and New York, operated on a wet-lease basis by Hi Fly Malta, according to AeroTime. One Mile at a Time describes these as two round trips.

The company's only A380, registered 9H-GLOBL, has been in long-term storage in Tarbes, France, since July 2025. One Mile at a Time reports that the aircraft needed heavy maintenance, that Asquith blamed delays in obtaining it, and that he had recently suggested flights to the Maldives before the end of 2026 despite no visible progress. The outlet's author is highly critical of the venture and says many people lost large sums of money; that is opinion and not confirmed by the court notice.

What this means for travellers

• Neither source says what happens to customer bookings or vouchers, so this is not yet known. Anyone holding either should look for guidance from the liquidator, who is expected to take control of the company's affairs.
• Those who paid by credit or debit card or through a payment provider may wish to ask their provider about refund routes, although the sources do not address this.
• With no operating certificate and its only aircraft in storage, the company has no flights of its own to offer. Before booking with any new airline, check whether it holds its own operating certificate and has a record of flying.

Travellers wanting an established A380 experience can look to operators such as Emirates.

Sources: AeroTime; One Mile at a Time.