The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has revoked the certificate of ExpressJet Airlines (Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson) after the dormant carrier failed to provide any updates regarding its once-floated restart as a charter specialist.
The decision winds up a protracted battle for survival of the airline, which was once the world's largest operator of E145 aircraft.
The airline, which was then active as a regional capacity provider, initially suspended operations on September 30, 2020, when it lost its United Airlines contract. It attempted to restart as an independent regional carrier under the aha! (United States of America) brand, but this strategy also flopped, forcing the airline to suspend operations again in August 2022. Its next business idea focused on charter flights with a single B777-200ER. However, the plan never materialised.
While the airline targeted the second half of 2024 for the restart with the B777, the DOT said that it had not heard from ExpressJet since November 2023.
Following a Chapter 11 restructuring launched in 2022, ExpressJet Airlines was acquired by Polaris 8, the parent of Logistic Air and Global SuperTanker Services. The ch-aviation fleets ownership module shows that the dormant and now decertified carrier continues to own a single CRJ200, msn 7542, which has been parked since 2016. According to the FAA information shared in the DOT determination, ExpressJet could hope to have any airworthy aircraft, at the earliest, in August 2025.
