All 41 jobs lost and fleet grounded as Zenith Aviation enters administration
Private jet charter and aircraft management firm Zenith Aviation Limited collapsed into administration on 15 May 2026, grounding its entire fleet and axing all 41 jobs at London Biggin Hill.
Information for general guidance, drawn from the public record. Not legal, financial, or insolvency advice. If you are affected by an insolvency, consult a licensed practitioner or qualified solicitor.
Forty-one jobs were lost and every flight cancelled when Zenith Aviation Limited, the private jet charter and aircraft management firm based at London Biggin Hill, entered administration on 15 May 2026. The entire fleet was grounded the same day, leaving customers with booked flights unable to travel.
Paul Hargreaves of Nexus Corporate Solutions Limited was appointed sole administrator. In administration, a licensed insolvency practitioner takes control of a company to try to rescue it, sell it as a going concern, or realise its assets for creditors. Hargreaves holds IP number 29530. He said he was appointed by the director and that the company was insolvent because of cashflow problems, debtors not paying, and historic ownership and management difficulties. He added that a rescue or sale of the business remained possible and that options were being assessed.
The appointment was sealed by the High Courts of Justice, Business and Property Courts in Leeds, Insolvency and Companies List (ChD), under court number CR-2026-LDS-000520. The notice was published in the London Gazette on 18 May 2026.
About Zenith Aviation
Zenith Aviation Limited was incorporated in October 2010 and originally registered as Perfect Aviation UK Limited, a name it held until September 2013. Its registered address is 62 Grosvenor Street, London, W1K 3JF, though its operational base was at London Biggin Hill. The company's SIC classification covers non-scheduled air transport, and its work spanned private jet charter, aircraft management and engineering services.
The company filed its most recent accounts to 29 March 2025 on a total-exemption-full basis, with the next filing due in December 2026.
The director and recent officer changes
The sole director at the time of administration was Touseef Tariq, appointed on 24 December 2025. Several directors had departed in the months before the collapse. Hermanus Christoffel Ackerman served as director from August 2025 and resigned on 24 December 2025. Neeraj Bhatia and Vipin Kumar were both appointed in October 2025 and resigned on 17 December 2025. Steve James Daniels served from September 2025 and also resigned on 17 December 2025. Earlier departures included Stuart Peter Mulholland, who had been a director since September 2013 and resigned on 24 December 2025, and Keith John Barber, Gary Humphreys and Michael Richard Brittain, all of whom left in March 2025.
Secured lender
One outstanding charge is registered against Zenith Aviation Limited. Investec Asset Finance (Channel Islands) Limited holds a registered charge created and delivered on 25 June 2024. A secured creditor whose debt is backed by a charge over company assets ranks ahead of unsecured creditors when the administrator distributes whatever is recovered from the estate.
What this means for creditors, customers and employees
Once administrators are appointed, the handling of creditors' claims passes to the officeholder. Hargreaves and Nexus Corporate Solutions Limited are the point of contact for all correspondence relating to the administration. Known creditors will receive statutory communications from the administrator in due course.
Creditors wishing to evidence amounts owed must submit a proof of debt, the formal claim form used in insolvency proceedings to set out the sum a creditor says is owed to them. The administrator reviews and adjudicates on those claims as the process progresses.
From the moment of appointment, a moratorium takes effect under Schedule B1, paragraph 43 of the Insolvency Act 1986, the part of the Act that governs administration in England and Wales. The moratorium pauses most creditor enforcement action, so creditors generally cannot start or continue legal proceedings against the company without the court's permission.
Customers who paid for flights, charters or other services not delivered before the administration rank as unsecured creditors in the ordinary course of the process. Unsecured creditors are those whose debts are not backed by a charge, and they rank behind secured and preferential creditors when any distributions are made from the estate.
Employees who have lost their jobs may have claims for unpaid wages, notice pay and redundancy. In administration, certain employee claims are treated as preferential, meaning they rank above the claims of unsecured trade creditors. Where the company cannot meet those obligations from its assets, the Redundancy Payments Service, a government body, exists to meet statutory entitlements owed to former employees, with the sums involved then becoming a debt owed by the company to the Crown.
Common questions
Are you owed money by Zenith Aviation Limited?
You are an unsecured creditor unless you hold a registered charge or retention of title. The administrators will write to known creditors in due course with a proof-of-debt form and timetable for the first meeting. Until that letter arrives, no formal action is required from you. Read more about proof of debt and where you sit in the creditor hierarchy.
Did you work at Zenith Aviation Limited?
Wages owed up to a statutory cap, holiday pay, notice pay and redundancy may be claimable from the Redundancy Payments Service if the company is unable to pay. The administrators will normally coordinate the RP1 claim with the affected staff. See gov.uk: your rights if your employer is insolvent.
Do you hold a deposit, gift card or undelivered order from Zenith Aviation Limited?
Customers with paid-but-undelivered orders, gift cards or deposits typically rank as unsecured creditors. Where you paid by credit card and the amount was over £100, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 may let you claim from the card issuer for breach of contract or misrepresentation by the supplier; the rules apply per item, not per transaction, and the card must be a regulated credit card. Debit-card payments may be recoverable via chargeback.
Are you a director of a company connected to Zenith Aviation Limited?
Watch for Section 216 of the Insolvency Act 1986 if you intend to keep trading under a similar name in a successor company. The rule prohibits a director of a liquidated company from being involved in another company using the same or a similar name for five years, unless one of the statutory exceptions applies. Read more about Section 216.
Sources
- The London Gazette notice (code Appointment of Administrators)
- Companies House record 07395401
- Court: High Courts of Justice, Business and Property Courts in Leeds, Insolvency & Companies List (ChD)
- Editorial standards: how we source and review; five-pass pipeline.
