While the start of 2025 brought with it much optimism about high traveler numbers, the projections did not pan out for every airline. By September, two Scandinavian airlines — Play and Braathens Aviation — left travelers in different parts of the world stranded after suddenly having to shut down operations amid high-profile bankruptcies. Earlier in the year, Ravn Alaska, Air Belgium, and SKS Airways in Malaysia all also shut down operations. Larger names such as WizzAir and Qantas Airways shut down their ...