Play Airlines Collapses, Halts All Flights - The Points Guy
PLAY Airlines halts all flights amid persistent financial losses and internal disputes, affecting around 120,000 passengers and 500 employees, the board said.
- PLAY, a low-cost Icelandic airline, ceased operations and canceled all flights effective September 28, 2025, leaving around 500 staff jobless.
- The closure followed continued weak financial performance, poor recent ticket sales, and ongoing deep-seated money losses despite a new business model introduced last fall.
- Play launched in 2021 with a strategy similar to Wow Air, focusing on low fares and connections between Iceland and European leisure destinations, while scaling its fleet slowly to 10 Airbus A320neos.
- The airline lost $66 million by a recent year-end, equating to a $31 loss per passenger, and its board blamed closure on poor sales, negative media coverage, and internal strain; Icelandair will not offer special fares to stranded passengers.
- PLAY's shutdown removes a low-cost travel option in Europe, disrupts about 120,000 passengers with bookings, and underscores challenges for budget carriers in limited, low-yield markets like Iceland's.
26 Articles
26 Articles
PLAY collapse grounds Alicante flights
The skies between Spain and Iceland just got a lot emptier. Low-cost Icelandic airline PLAY has gone bust, announcing on September 29 that it was ceasing all operations with immediate effect. The news spells an abrupt end to its flights linking Alicante-Elche airport with Reykjavík, and leaves thousands of travellers wondering what happens next. PLAY’s fall has echoes of WOW Air’s… Source
Play Airlines collapses, halts all flights - The Points Guy
Icelandic discounter Play Airlines closed its doors Monday after struggling to turn a profit since launching four years ago.In a statement Monday, Play's board of directors blamed the closure on weak performance and ticket sales in recent months, "following negative media coverage of its operations."Travelers affected by Play's shutdown are left with few flight options. Icelandair said in a statement that it is "not offering special fares for Pl…
Budget airline PLAY collapses and cancels all flights as passengers left stranded - The Mirror
Icelandic airline Fly PLAY said it has gone into administration and all flights are cancelled with immediate effect, leaving hundreds of people without jobs and potentially thousands stranded
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