A number of major airlines have declared bankruptcy

Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....

and have either ceased operations, or reorganized under bankruptcy protection. Airlines, like any business, are susceptible to market fluctuations and economic difficulties. The economic structure of the airline industry may contribute to airline bankruptcies as well.

Timeline

This is a timeline of airline

Airline

An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...

s who have filed for bankruptcy protection. Also see list of defunct airlines for a list of airlines which are no longer operating.

Chapter 7

This is a list of airlines that have filed for bankruptcy protection via Chapter 7

Chapter 7, Title 11, United States Code

Chapter 7 of the Title 11 of the United States Code governs the process of liquidation under the bankruptcy laws of the United States...

 in the United States.

Airline	Date Bankruptcy filed	Notes
National Florida	December 2, 1980

Chapter 11

This is a list of airlines that have filed for bankruptcy protection via Chapter 11 in the United States.

Airline	Date Bankruptcy filed	Date Exited Bankruptcy	Notes
New York Airways New York Airways New York Airways was a helicopter airline in the New York City area. Founded in 1949 as a mail and cargo carrier, on July 9, 1953 it became the first scheduled helicopter airline to carry passengers in the United States...	1979-05-18		Ceased operations (see wiki page)
Aeroamerica Aeroamerica Aeroamerica, Inc. was founded as a US supplemental carrierUS non-scheduled airline as classified by the United States Congress in 1963 in 1973. It was headquartered at Seattle Boeing Field, Washington. In 1975 the airline established an overseas base at Tegel Airport in what used to be West Berlin...	1979-11-19		Ceased operations (see wiki page)
Florida Airlines Florida Airlines Florida Airlines was a commuter airline based in Florida that operated from 1960 to 1982. It is said to have had the largest Douglas DC3 fleet in the world in 1976Airline deregulation eventually resulted in the demise of the airline.- Fleet :...	1980-01-24		Death by deregulation (see wiki page)
Indiana Airlines	1980-03-03
Air Bahia Air Bahia Air Bahia is a defunct United States commuter airline which operated from 1979 to 1980. Air Bahia operated in Southern California.-History:The short-lived Air Bahia, based in San Diego, was operated its first scheduled service on August 18, 1979. Its operations included service to San Diego, Los...	1980-12-15
Tejas Airlines	1980-12-31
Mountain West Airlines-Idaho Mountain West Airlines-Idaho Mountain West Airlines-Idaho was a short-lived commuter airline based in Boise, Idaho. Its first flight was on January 29, 1979 with its flights continuing until the service termination on March 5, 1981...	1981-03-06		Ceased operations
LANICA	1981-03-16
Coral Air	1981-07-13
Pacific Coast Pacific Coast A country's Pacific coast is the part of its coast bordering the Pacific Ocean.-The Americas:Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western border.* Geography of Canada* Geography of Chile* Geography of Colombia...	1981-09-11
Swift Air Line	1981-09-18
Golden Gate (Airline)	1981-10-09
Pinehurst Airlines	1982-01-26
Silver State Airlines	1982-03-03
Air Pennsylvania Air Pennsylvania Air Pennsylvania was a commuter airline active from 1976 to 1982 and based in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was owned was Eugene F. Plum II, whose family also operated a flight school and other airlines - Perkiomen Airways Air Pennsylvania was a commuter airline active from 1976 to 1982 and based in...	1982-03-26
Air South Air South There were several airlines in the United States known as Air South.-1968-1975:Air South was a regional airline operating out of Atlanta Municipal Airport. Founded as Nationwide Airlines Southeast in 1968, it served a variety of destinations in Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina...	1982-04-02
Cochise Airlines Cochise Airlines Cochise Airlines was founded in 1971 in Tucson, Arizona. It flew until about 1982. It flew to Phoenix, Arizona and southern California....	1982-04-16
Braniff International	1982-05-13
Astec Air East	1982-07-08
Will's Air	1982-08-19
Aero Sun International	1982-10-15
Aero Virgin Islands Aero Virgin Islands Aero Virgin Islands was an airline based in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands.-History:Aero Virgin Islands Corp. began operating in the Caribbean during the late 1970s...	1982-10-19
Altair Airlines Altair Airlines Altair Airlines was an airline based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was in service from 1967 to 1982.The airline was established in 1967 as a regional airline. In 1967, Altair's main shareholder was Tristram Colket and it had 587 employees. In May 1970, Altair Airlines was...	1982-11-09
Partnair Partnair Partnair was a Norwegian charter airline company owned by Terje and Rolf Thoresen. The company was formed by a merger including Nor-Fly Charter in 1985. The company operated mainly in the ad hoc marked with oil companies as their primary customer...	1989-10-01		Filed for bankruptcy sometime in October; day unknown.
Pan American World Airways Pan American World Airways Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...	1991-01-08
Trans World Airlines Trans World Airlines Trans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...	2001-01-10		Filed as part of an acquisition by American Airlines American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
US Airways US Airways US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....	2002-08-11	2003-03-31
United Airlines United Airlines United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...	2002-12-09	2006-02-01
Air Canada Air Canada Air Canada is the flag carrier and largest airline of Canada. The airline, founded in 1936, provides scheduled and charter air transport for passengers and cargo to 178 destinations worldwide. It is the world's tenth largest passenger airline by number of destinations, and the airline is a...	2003-04-01	2004-09-30
Flash Airlines Flash Airlines Flash Airlines was a private charter airline operating out of Cairo, Egypt that was part of the Flash Group tourism company. The airline operated two Boeing 737-3Q8 aircraft manufactured in 1993 on non-scheduled commercial passenger flights on both international and domestic routes.-History:The...	2004-03-01
US Airways US Airways US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....	2004-09-12	2005-09-27	Second filing, emerges in conjunction with its acquisition by America West
Aloha Airlines Aloha Airlines Aloha Airlines was an American airline headquartered in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, operating from a hub at Honolulu International Airport...	2004-12-30	2006-02-17
Northwest Airlines Northwest Airlines Northwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...	2005-09-14	2007-05-31	Acquired by Delta in 2008
Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...	2005-09-14	2007-04-30	Filed, putting 4 of the top 7 carriers in the United States under bankruptcy protection
Maxjet Airways MAXjet Airways MAXjet Airways was an American, transatlantic, all-business class airline that operated between 2003 and 2007. Its headquarters were located on the grounds of Washington-Dulles International Airport, and in the Dulles area of Loudoun County, Virginia, United States.MAXjet operated services to...	2007-12-26		Filed and discontinues operations
Aloha Airlines Aloha Airlines Aloha Airlines was an American airline headquartered in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, operating from a hub at Honolulu International Airport...	2008-03-31		Filed and discontinues passenger transporting operations
ATA Airlines ATA Airlines ATA Airlines, Inc., formerly known as American Trans Air, was an American low-cost scheduled service and charter airline based in Indianapolis, Indiana. ATA operated scheduled passenger flights throughout the US mainland and Hawaii, as well as military and commercial charter flights around the world...	2008-04-03		Filed and discontinues operations
Skybus Airlines Skybus Airlines Skybus Airlines Inc. was a privately held airline based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. It operated as an ultra-low-cost carrier modeled after the European airline Ryanair, and aimed to be the least expensive airline in the United States...	2008-04-05		Filed and discontinues operations
Frontier Airlines Frontier Airlines Frontier Airlines, Inc., is an American airline headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The carrier, which is a subsidiary and operating brand of Republic Airways Holdings, operates flights to 83 destinations throughout the United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica and maintains hubs at...	2008-04-10	2009-10-01
Eos Airlines Eos Airlines Eos Airlines, Inc. was an American all-business class airline headquartered in Purchase, New York, with its flights from John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York...	2008-04-26		Filed and discontinues operations
Sun Country Airlines Sun Country Airlines MN Airlines, LLC, operating as Sun Country Airlines, is an American low-cost airline headquartered in the Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb of Mendota Heights, Minnesota...	2008-10-06		Filed
Primaris Airlines Primaris Airlines Primaris Airlines was an American charter airline located in Enterprise, Nevada, USA It operated in domestic and international services. Its main base was McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas.-History:...	2008-10-15		Filed and discontinues operations
Japan Airlines Japan Airlines is an airline headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan. It is the flag carrier of Japan and its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Tokyo International Airport , as well as Nagoya's Chūbu Centrair International Airport and Osaka's Kansai International Airport...	2010-01-19	2011-03-28
Arrow Air Arrow Air Arrow Cargo was an American cargo airline based in Building 712 on the grounds of Miami International Airport in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA. It operated over 90 weekly scheduled cargo flights, and had a strong charter business. Its main base was Miami International Airport...	2010-07-01		Filed, discontinued, and undergoing liquidation
Mexicana Mexicana de Aviación Founded in 1921, Compañía Mexicana de Aviación, S.A. de C.V. was Mexico's oldest airline, before ceasing operations on August 28, 2010. The group's closure was announced by the company's recently installed management team a short time after the group filed for Concurso Mercantil and US Chapter 15...	2010-08-28		Filed and suspends operations
American Airlines American Airlines American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...	2011-11-29		Filed and continues operations - Includes AMR parent company, Current CEO steps down