Why do so many people try to start an airline ?
Every year in Europe (and I include the UK) there are people with the idea of starting an airline. Some are dreamers who stop trying within a month once they realise what's involved - these are usually never heard of in the public domain. Others go a lot further, become publicly visible, and may even get to the stage of flying passengers commercially. A very large number of these attempts shut down less than 3 years after the date they flew their first commercial passenger flight.
Airlines are not great technical innovators. Yes, there may be small ways you can tweak things - maybe a new carrier wants to be the one who uses AI a little bit more when setting fares.... but it is still a fairly generic business. Particularly in Europe where there are still many airlines so competition remains fierce and niches are few (yes, I know N. America has far fewer carriers so greater possibility to find a niche). Margins in Europe seem slim - so hardly a way to get rich quick for an ambitious entrepreneur. Airlines that get bought out within 5 years of startup by a larger airline are rare. European commercial aviation has been on a long term consolidation trend for many years.
There's even the old saying about a billionaire starting an airline being the fastest way to become a millionaire
Of course I'd like to see new airlines with new ideas start up - innovation and competition is always good, but whenever I see a new fledgling carrier my first thoughts are a sinking feeling in my stomach as I wonder what on earth this new firm possibly has to offer, and then once they've done a few proving flights to go and buy a ticket to fly with them before they go bust.
So why do people start airlines ? Particularly in Europe. What drives them to believe they can thrive where many other attempts have died ? Even after some kindly well-meaning adviser has had a "friendly chat" and tried to steer them in a different direction... many still persist - why ?
Answers on a postcard...