Primera Air customers told not to travel to Stansted airport following airline’s sudden collapse
Stansted Airport has advised all Primera Air customers not to travel to the airport after the Nordic airline ceased trading yesterday, leaving thousands of passengers and employees stranded.
The low-cost Danish airline, which offered cheap flights to the US and Europe from Stansted, Manchester and Birmingham airports, last night ceased operating after 14 years in service. It said it had no choice but to file for bankruptcy after failing to secure long-term financing.
Primera also blamed delays in the production of its Airbus 321neo fleet. In the summer it was forced to suspend all flights from Birmingham to New York and Toronto.
Yesterday evening Stansted advised all customers due to travel with Primera Air not to travel to the airport:
We have learned this afternoon that @primeraair has ceased all flight operations and will go into administration at midnight tonight. Passengers due to travel with Primera Air are advised not to travel to the airport and instead contact the airline directly. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/0o6kNgn0ZD
— London Stansted Airport (@STN_Airport) October 1, 2018
In a statement to Bloomberg, Primera Air said: “This is a sad day for all the employees and passengers of Primera Air. The company has been working relentlessly during the last months to secure the long-term financing of the airline. Not being able to reach an agreement with our bank for a bridge financing, we had no other choice than filing for bankruptcy.”
The airline's demise marks nearly a year since British airline Monarch's sudden collapse. The 50-year old airline struggled to stay afloat amid stiff competition from other low-cost rivals, terrorist incidences abroad and higher operating costs.
Many passengers complained of being stranded abroad while others were unsure if they could claim a refund.
@primeraair I bought tickets to fly for this Friday and now I cannot fly. Will I get a refund? I paid £400 for my ticket which is now lost!
— Applause (@Intazma) October 2, 2018
https://twitter.com/KimberlyBebout/status/1046920276389367808
Consumer group Which? said passengers may only be able to get their money back if their booking had ATOL protection, which would grant you a full refund if a company collapses and an alternative flight home if stranded abroad.
However, whether you have Atol protection depends on how you booked. The scheme applies to package holiday that involves a flight and was made through travel agents with a licence.
If you booked your flight and hotel accommodation through the airline's website, this will not be covered, Which? said.
Those stranded abroad without Atol protection will need to book flights back with a different airline out of their own pocket. Claims can be made with some credit card companies if your flights and holiday cost more than £100.