LONG-HAUL, LOW-COST pioneer Oasis Hong Kong Airlines has failed. Despite picking up a string of industry accolades in its short lifespan, the carrier was last month in the hands of the liquidators.
Oasis was one of several airlines that went to the wall in April - Hawaii's Aoloha Airlines, Indianapolis-based ATA Airlines, and Skybus Airlines, based in Columbus, Ohio, have also ceased trading.
Oasis' brief flying career began in October 2006 when it started operating between Hong Kong and Gatwick. Other European destinations were earmarked for future Hong Kong services.
A transpacific operation to Oakland, due to start in July last year, never materialised, but a Hong Kong-Vancouver service did get off the ground, and in September Oasis picked up trophies for "Best New Service" and "Best Business Class Carrier" at the World Low-Cost Airline Awards in London.
It went on to be named "New Airline of the Year" in the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation Awards, and "World's Leading New Airline" in the December 2007 World Travel Awards.
Aloha Airlines initially applied for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection - the approximate US equivalent of going into administration - but days later company bosses decided that the airline's passenger operation was unsustainable.
Skybus, a privately-owned, low-cost carrier, blamed its collapse on a combination of rising fuel costs and the US's economic slowdown. It had been operating around 80 flights a day on a network of 15 US cities.