Airline cancels all Dublin flights as thousands of passengers left stranded

Budget airline PLAY has abruptly shut down with immediate effect, axing all flights and leaving thousands of travellers stranded. The sudden collapse has also reportedly placed approximately 400 staff members at risk of redundancy.

The Icelandic airline, which launched just four years ago, announced the closure on its website. It said: “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.”

Travellers are being urged to contact their card providers for bookings made with credit cards, while those who purchased flights as part of broader holiday packages should get in touch with their travel agents. PLAY also highlighted that certain protections may be available under EU Air Passenger regulations.

PLAY sought to deliver “effortless travel, safety and affordable prices” and rapidly grew to serve dozens of destinations throughout Europe and the US. Its transatlantic operations, which commenced in April 2022, linked Reykjavik’s Keflavik International Airport to New York Stewart, Washington/Baltimore and Boston Logan, providing cost-effective long-haul alternatives.

PLAY’s Dublin base, established in 2022, supported its US routes through European connections, with four of its six Airbus A320s operating from Dublin Airport. The carrier provided flights from Dublin to Reykjavik multiple times weekly, along with onward connections to the US, reports the Irish Mirror.

Online aviation journalist @Shauns_Aviation broke the news, saying: “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 outlined several factors behind the decision, including a track record of disappointing financial results and a recent dramatic drop in ticket bookings.

The board explained: “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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