Virtual Aerospace: Covid-era voucher boom dooms simulator firm

The firm operated several simulators, including a Boeing 737 similar to the one pictured

One of the UK's biggest flight simulator businesses has closed blaming a lockdown voucher sales surge.

Virtual Aerospace Limited, based in Stockport, said a "huge backlog" of 2,500 vouchers bought during the pandemic had been a factor in its demise.

The company has entered liquidation and shut all branches, including its Greater Manchester headquarters.

Customers with vouchers will have their details passed to liquidators.

Virtual Aerospace, which was set up in 2011, operated six simulators across its main Stockport site and two other locations in West Sussex and Northamptonshire.

More than 40 flight instructors were employed at the business, which gave visitors the chance to replicate flying in popular planes including a Vulcan bomber and World War Two Spitfire.

Demand on the operation caused by customers buying the vouchers to support the business during its 15-month pandemic closure "massively affected new sales", a statement on its website said.

The statement added staff had "tried everything" to reduce the backlog and "keep us alive".

The company ceased trading on 23 March on their website.

'Mad at us'

David Waddington, from Burnley, who was due to use the Spitfire simulator, said he only found out about the liquidation on the morning he was supposed to visit.

Mr Waddington, 67, said: "I went to check my emails before we set off and found two emails, one from 23 March saying it had closed.

"It'll probably be six months before I get any of the £100 back, and then it'll only be a percentage."

The award-winning flight simulator firm flew more than 50,000 customers over an 11-year-period.

It said it accepted customers would be "mad" following the news.

The firm said despite "thousands" of hours of good will from engineers, pilots and the VA team, it "was not enough to fend off" the impact.

"We know many of you will be mad at us and that you invested in us in good faith and we feel awful and cannot apologise enough to anybody that has lost money in this situation," the statement read.

Virtual Aerospace Ltd appointed Andrew Ryder from insolvency specialist JT Maxwell Limited on 13 February.

Liquidators are now in the process of closing the premises, auctioning assets to pay outstanding creditors, and will be in touch with customers "in due course".

The business telephone is directing customers to an email and its website appears to only show the statement online.