It has been announced that budget airline Primera Air has collapsed after 14 years of operation, resulting in the immediate cancellation of its flights.
The company officially ceased trading as of Tuesday 2nd October, with some passengers unable to reach their destination on Monday evening and others told not to go to the airport for journeys due to take place on Tuesday morning and beyond.
If you have flights booked with Primera Air for an upcoming holiday, or are currently away and concerned about how this will affect you, here is everything you need to know.
Who are Primera Air?
A Danish leisure airline that provided scheduled and charter passenger services to numerous destinations in Europe, the Middle East and North America. Its headquarters were in Copenhagen, Denmark, but the company also had operating bases in Birmingham and London Stansted, employing approximately 300 people.
Why has the company been forced to cease trading?
The decision comes after reports of a poor financial standing, largely due to the write-off of one of its aircraft because of corrosion, as well as delivery delays of a new plane and being unable to secure long term investment.
When did they cease trading?
Reports first surfaced on 30th September 2018, a time when many of its planes were in the air and numerous passengers were due to take off. Unfortunately, travellers were left without flights or refunds and the final plane to land touched the tarmac in Copenhagen, arriving from Malaga, late on Monday 1st October.
After this point, the airline’s IATA codes were no longer valid and all subsequent flights were cancelled.
How many UK holidaymakers have been affected?
At present, it’s still unknown. One flight from Birmingham to Malaga landed on the evening of Monday 1st October and the generally low price of flights had proven popular from its UK bases at Stansted and the aforementioned Birmingham.
Most of Primera Air’s business involved flying Scandinavian tourists to holiday destinations in Europe, but flights were also due to start between Manchester and Malaga later this month.
I’m currently away on holiday and due to fly back with Primera Air – what should I do?
The company is not part of the Civil Aviation Authority’s ATOL Protection Scheme, which has advised passengers who are currently out of the UK that they will need to make their own arrangements to return home.
I have flights booked with Primera Air for an upcoming trip – what do I do?
Those with upcoming flights booked will also not be covered under the ATOL Protection Scheme and will have to arrange alternative flights. If you have booked a holiday via one of the providers listed on icelolly.com, get back in touch with them to see what your next best course of action is.
Travellers who booked their flights by credit card may be protected by the Consumer Credit Card Act 194, Section 75, and we would advise checking with your issuer to see if you are entitled to a refund.
How many cancellations have been made?
All flights have been cancelled. If you have a trip booked, you should not go to the airport and seek to find alternative travel arrangements as soon as possible.
Have you been affected by the failure of Primera Air? Comment below if you have any further questions, queries or concerns that haven’t been answered in this post and we will advise as best we can.
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