It’s just been announced that Catalan airline Spanair has gone bankrupt late this evening. All flights are cancelled although they have released a statement saying that those affected will be offered reduced flight transit on Air Europa, Iberia and Vueling flights.
(28/1 13:00 Update: The statement is now offline maybe due to high traffic number or because Spanair have withdrawn it. As I recall, it said those needing domestic flights in Spain would be offered domestic flights on the aforementioned airlines for around €60, European flights for around €80 and International flights €100 although I can’t be sure about the exact details. According to this story, the deal is restricted to Iberia: “Iberia has announced a flat fare of $79.15 (€60) for Spanair ticket holders on Spanish mainland and Balearic routes, $118.73 for routes to the Canary Islands and $131.92 for any European route.)
It seems that Spanair never recovered from the tragic crash in 2008 at Madrid airport where 154 people lost their lives. Shortly after, SAS sold the airline to avoid financial repercussions although they still hold stake in it and are said to be planning to plow around a billion Swedish kronor into Spanair to alleviate the losses.
(28/2 13:00 Update: SAS have announced the bankruptcy will cost them 1.7 billion Kronor or $252 million)
In recent weeks, Spanair were desperately trying to reach a last ditch agreement with Qatar Airways to save them after the Generalitat (the regional Catalan government here) refused any further loans to it. It seems like Barcelona based low cost carrier Vueling had an inkling this was collapse was in the pipeline as Flightglobal reports that they were already training their pilots to fly planes with the same engines as Spanair. It also implies that this bankruptcy might open the way for former FC Barcelona president Ferran Soliano to take over as Chief Executive of Manchester City as he previously said he’d never leave his post as President of Spanair. If Manchester City are to become the FC Barcelona of England, maybe this is where it all starts.
I’ve traveled several times with Spanair since 2008 and it did seem like they were making a real effort to improve their service and restore confidence after the crash. If you’re affected by this bankruptcy, I hope you manage to find an alternative arrangement. The latest news on the situation is here in Spanish in La Vanguardia.
There’s also a number to ring in Spain for help: 902 13 14 15.
