Link Airs (Fukuoka) was a planned regional start-up in Japan. According to CAPA, the paper airline was planning a spring 2014 debut, operating two ATR 72-600s initially on routes from Fukuoka to Kitakyushu including five times daily Fukuoka-Miyazaki, three times daily Fukuoka-Matsuyama and daily Kitakyushu-Matsuyama services.

However the new airline won’t fly after the two prospective ATR 72-600s (JA01LK and JA02LK) were painted at Toulouse. The company, established on April 5, 2012, filed for bankruptcy protection on December 10, 2013 after failing to raise enough capital to start operations. The airline will now be liquidated. The would-be airline owed around eighty creditors according to local reports.

The airline had a technical and training support agreement with StarFlyer. Link Airs applied for an AOC in July 2013.

Link Airs would have been the first operator of ATR aircraft in Japan.

Copyright Photo: Olivier Gregoire/AirlinersGallery.com. The pictured ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-600) with the test registration of F-WWET at Toulouse would have become JA02LK on delivery that never happened.