A new company is planning to start operations using the BackBone Aviation (Esbjerg) name and branding rights. In a statement issued on February 23, the former Danish charter operator's CEO, Einar Adalsteinsson, said it had secured investment from an unspecified group of Irish and American investors.

"[The] same great BackBone personnel will stay with the company, and we have secured the aircraft for our coming operations, as well as an agreement to bring more aircraft on board," he said.

Given the financial backing of this new investment consortium, Adalsteinsson said he expects to offer better charter and ACMI services "than ever before". More details will be disclosed in the coming weeks.

BackBone Aviation filed for bankruptcy after ceasing all operations on January 17. It blamed the move on the late delivery of additional CRJ equipment, critical to a now-cancelled UK ACMI contract, as well as a failed multi-aircraft ACMI deal with PowdAir (Sion).

PowdAir, which had an 11% stake in the original BackBone Aviation, has since distanced itself from the new start-up adding that an imminent relaunch would not be possible given the need for recertification.

"PowdAir has NO involvement in the new set up and wishes to distance itself from the new company," Nicholas Davis, Head of Strategy, told ch-aviation in an emailed statement.