Fly Gibraltar was a proposed foreign owned low-cost airline

Low-cost carrier

A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...

 to be based in Gibraltar

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...

. It claimed it would operate services to destinations in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 and the Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. The airline stated that it would commence flying in April 2007.

A later announcement said its operation was on hold until June or perhaps spring 2008. A further announcement was made in June 2007 stating that Fly Gibraltar would not be executing any operations due to insurmountable financial issues.

History

Press releases about The proposed airline were issued in August 2006, describing it as wholly owned by OEM (International) Ltd

OEM International

OEM Limited was a construction company based in Gibraltar.The company issued a press release claiming that they would be creating a national airline for Gibraltar under the name of Fly Gibraltar. After a number of delays the project was cancelled in June 2007...

, a construction

Construction

In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...

 company which later had their building contracts cancelled by the Government of Gibraltar. It initially claimed it would conduct its first year of operations under the air operator certificate of Astraeus

Astraeus (airline)

Astraeus Limited, trading as Astraeus Airlines, was a British airline based at Astraeus House in Crawley, West Sussex, England. In May 2008, Astraeus changed its business model and ceased full time charter and scheduled service flying to concentrate on sublease activities...

. After extended delays in starting operation, in June 2007 it was announced it would not be starting operations The reason given was that it was unable to deposit the £10m insurance bond with the Civil Aviation Authority

Civil Aviation Authority

This is a list of national and supra-national civil aviation authorities.-See also:* Air route authority between the United States and the People's Republic of China* National Transportation Safety Board -External links:****...

 required to commence business.

There is no evidence that the company ever actually contacted either Astraeus or the CAA. Within weeks of the high profile presentation, airline industry sources in the UK were saying it was pie in the sky.

The Government of Gibraltar said it would offer the promised routes to other airlines.

Destinations

The airline claimed it would fly between Gibraltar and Dublin, Cork

Cork (city)

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...

, Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

, Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

, Manchester

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

 and London Stansted Airport

London Stansted Airport

-Cargo:-Statistics:-Infrastructure:-Terminal and satellite buildings:Stansted is the newest passenger airport of all the main London airports. The terminal is an oblong glass building, and is separated in to three areas: Check-in concourse, arrivals and departures...

.

The airline website appeared briefly and claimed it would hold online bookings as from March 2007, but is no longer functional.