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A British airline that flies between London and Cornwall has cancelled all its flights and stopped selling tickets as it faces closure, according to reports. Eastern Airways usually runs flights between London Gatwick and Newquay, as well as between other UK locations such as Aberdeen, Humberside and Teesside. However, the airline has grounded all its flights and ceased ticket sales at midday on Monday, according to the Independent. Travel journalist Simon Calder reports that Eastern Airways has filed a “notice of intention to appoint an administrator” which protects the company from creditors for 10 business days while it tries to avoid liquidation. The 28-year-old airline has also reportedly returned its aircraft to leasing companies. The airline had claimed to be “Number One in Europe for providing charter flights for sports teams” including Premier League football teams. Eastern Airways was launched in 1997 with a single route between Humberside and Aberdeen to serve the oil industry. It later added routes such as Newcastle to London City Airport and had a hub on the Isle of Man. Earlier this year, Eastern Airways had announced that it would be launching flights from Newquay in Cornwall, to London Southend Airport in Essex. The airline had also recently announced that it was bringing back services between Humberside and Teesside to Jersey for the summer season, according to its website. It had also been operating UK feeder links to Amsterdam on behalf of dutch airline KLM. Flights between London and Newquay had been running twice daily. The Standard has contacted Eastern Airways for comment.
