While a granted air operator’s license (AOC) gives an airline the right to start running and selling flights, the certificate can also be revoked if a carrier fails a safety audit or runs out of the resources necessary to continue operations.
Airlines that saw their AOC revoked in recent weeks include British charter carrier Pen-Avia, Estonia-based SmartLynx Airlines, Irish Westair Aviation and Austrian airline Mali Air as well as Houston-based charter carrier Starflite Aviation in the U.S.
In the latter case, the AOC was stripped after the FAA accused owners of falsifying the records around pilot training and time flown. In other situations, airlines sometimes voluntarily give up their AOCs if they no longer intend to operate.
Bestfly Aircraft Management Aruba gives up AOC
The latest airline to no longer have an AOC is Bestfly Aircraft Management Aruba. A branch of the wider Bestfly charter airline established in the African nation of Angola in 2009, Bestfly Aruba was created to expand into the Caribbean market in 2017.
The charter carrier initially started out with a fleet of one Embraer 190 for flights between Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao and eventually expanded by purchasing planes including the Gulfstream and Bombardier Global 5000 models.
Related: Another airline cancels flights until June, offers travelers refunds
“Bestfly can out together all of the clients needs to create a perfect journey, we have the expertise to carefully plan, organize, and execute a flight to the highest of standards,” the company writes on its website.
As first reported by Corporate Jet Investor, the Department of Civil Aviation of Aruba (DCAA) revoked Bestfly Aircraft Management Aruba’s AOC on May 11 and “in the interest of aviation safety and compliance oversight.”
Image source: Shutterstock
“This decision was made at the request and initiative of Bestfly and was not imposed by authorities”
The company, meanwhile, said that it had willingly surrendered the AOC after deciding that it would no longer operate in the Caribbean territory.
“Bestfly wishes to inform its clients and associates that, after a period of evaluation, it has decided to cease its AOC operations in Aruba,” Bestfly said in a statement. “On May 8th, 2026, Bestfly informed the Minister of Transport of this decision and requested the withdrawal of its AOC. By letter dated May 11th, 2026, the Minister honoured this request. This decision was made at the request and initiative of Bestfly and was not imposed by the authorities. Bestfly believes that this decision represents the best course of action for the company, its clients, vendors and employees.”
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This means that Bestfly is no longer running any flights from its Caribbean market while its brand in Angola remains unaffected. The company has not commented on why it chose to give up its AOC.
These airlines filed for bankruptcy in 2026:
- Spirit Airlines: The largest airline shutdown of the year occurred when Spirit Airlines canceled all remaining flights on May 2. Although the airline had filed for Chapter 11 protection twice before, the skyrocketing price of jet fuel dealt the final blow.
- Magnicharters: While not yet fully shut down, the Mexican low-cost airline canceled all of its flights until May 2026 in a shutdown that left thousands stranded.
- Starflite Aviation: Houston-based Starflite Aviation had its AOC license revoked in March 2026, amid FAA claims that owners falsified pilot training records to bypass safety audits.
- AlpAvia: Slovenian charter airline AlpAvia also shut down in March 2026 over financial problems.
- H-Bird: Charter airline H-Bird was declared bankrupt by a Swedish judge after losing its operating license at the end of 2025.
Related: Another airline shut down after losing license
