A Maitland, Fla.-based airline has filed for bankruptcy protection after a series of business moves did not allow its operations to restart, the Orlando Business Journal reported. Via Airlines Inc. made the voluntary chapter 11 filing in Florida Middle District Bankruptcy Court on Oct. 8. The company cited both a pilot shortage that reduced business volume and shut down its business last May, as well as a July 2019 deal in which Atlanta-based Ashley Air LLC agreed to buy Via Airlines and infuse it with capital to stabilize it, but Via claimed Ashley Air did not fulfill its financial duties, according to the filing. Via Airlines claimed that Ashley Air, headed up by CEO John Ashley, misrepresented its "financial wherewithal," which led to Via defaulting on payments to secured creditors, unpaid rent on airport hangars and the Internal Revenue Service not being paid owed taxes. Via Airlines also claimed that Ashley Air didn't pay employees' wages and didn't reimburse passengers for canceled flights.
