The Icelandic low-cost carrier, which began operations just four years ago, has cancelled all flights and left thousands of passengers stranded
Icelandic budget carrier PLAY has abruptly halted all operations with immediate effect, scrapping every scheduled flight and stranding thousands of passengers worldwide, including flights from Dublin. The airline’s sudden collapse has also placed approximately 400 staff members in jeopardy of redundancy.
The low-cost operator, which launched just four years ago, confirmed the closure via its website, stating: “Dear passenger, Fly PLAY hf. has ceased operations, and all flights have been cancelled. We kindly advise you to check flights with other airlines. Some carriers may offer special ‘rescue fares’ considering the circumstances.”
Affected travellers are being urged to contact their credit card providers for bookings made using cards, whilst those who purchased flights as part of holiday packages should get in touch with their tour operators. PLAY has also highlighted that certain protections may be available under EU Air Passenger regulations.
The carrier had positioned itself to deliver “effortless travel, safety and affordable prices” and rapidly grew to serve dozens of destinations throughout Europe and America. Its transatlantic operations, which commenced in April 2022, linked Reykjavik’s Keflavik International Airport with New York Stewart, Washington/Baltimore and Boston Logan, providing cost-effective long-distance travel.
PLAY’s Dublin operation, established in 2022, supported its American routes through European connections, with four of its six Airbus A320 aircraft based at Dublin Airport. The airline operated services from Dublin to Reykjavik multiple times weekly, alongside connecting flights to America, reports the Irish Mirror.
Online aviation journalist @Shauns_Aviation broke the news, stating: “Some interesting news this morning that PLAY Airlines, an Icelandic based low-cost carrier has ceased operations and cancelled all flights! ! A PLAY Airlines aircraft is currently at Dublin as crew wait for further information from higher up in the airline. A sad day for the crew and staff involved!”.
In a statement issued on Monday morning, September 29, the company’s board disclosed several factors behind the decision, including a track record of disappointing financial results and a recent dramatic drop in ticket bookings.
The board stated: “The board of Fly Play hf. has decided to terminate operations, and all of the company’s flights have been cancelled. The company will work closely with authorities and employees to implement the necessary steps for winding down operations.
“There are many reasons behind this decision. The company’s performance has long fallen short of expectations, ticket sales have been poor in recent weeks and months following negative media coverage, and internal disagreements among some employees regarding strategic changes have further strained the situation.”
Details disclosed by the board concerned alterations that were unable to produce the required outcomes.
They continued: “Last fall, Play introduced a new business model that initially inspired significant optimism. Unfortunately, it has now become clear that these changes cannot deliver the results needed to overcome the airline’s deep-seated financial troubles. In hindsight, these measures would have needed to be implemented much earlier.”
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