Thousands of passengers faced travel disruptions across Spain after domestic carrier Spanair canceled all of its flights Friday night and prepared to file for bankruptcy protection.
The collapse of the Barcelona carrier took place shortly after Qatar Airways walked away from talks to take over the airline after months of negotiations.
"Due to a lack of financial visibility for the coming months, the company has had no option but to cease flying out of a duty of care for the safety of its operation and the well being of all concerned," Spanair said in a statement late Friday. "The appropriate next steps will be taken as soon as possible."
More than 200 Spanair flights have been canceled, affecting more than 22,000 passengers. Public Works Minister Ana Pastor said on Saturday that the government may slap Spanair with about €9 million ($12 million) in fines and cancel its airline license due to the sudden cancellation of flights and failure to assist passengers.
The Public Works Ministry, which supervises the transport sector, said Spanair is required to assist customers and reimburse canceled tickets.
Many affected passengers complained on local television stations that Spanair was struggling to provide flight alternatives or even return the luggage from passengers who checked in shortly before all flights were canceled. A Spanair spokeswoman declined to comment on specific complaints from customers.
The company said it has set up a customer service hot line, while Spain's airport authority, AENA, is providing passenger support services at the country's main airports. Carrier Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España SA said it was accepting affected Spanair passengers in its flights and offering lower airfares. Other domestic carriers also are assisting Spanair customers.
"The company would like to apologize to everyone affected by this announcement and thank the aviation authorities for their help and support," as well as other airlines that are assisting affected passengers, Spanair said on Friday night.
The government of Spain's Catalonia region is Spanair's main shareholder, with a stake of 85.6%. Spanair's former owner, Scandinavian airline SAS AB, holds a 10.9% stake.
SAS issued a profit warning on Friday night. It said that following the decision of Spanair's board to file for bankruptcy protection, it will write down €165 million of the outstanding debt and receivables on Spanair and set aside another €28 million in guarantees and costs linked to Spanair's bankruptcy filing. SAS also said it already had reduced the value of its shareholding in Spanair to zero.
Spanair, which has more than 2,000 employees, struggled financially in recent years, particularly after the crash of one of its aircraft during takeoff in Madrid almost four years ago, killing more than 150 passengers.
As the economic crisis intensified in Spain, the Catalan government sought to keep the airline afloat as part of an effort to develop Barcelona's El Prat Airport as a regional hub. However, it decided months ago that it couldn't keep supporting the company at a time when the regional government itself is facing financial difficulties, with the Spanish economy mired in its worst crisis in decades amid a deep property bust and high unemployment. Spanair also faced competition from discount carriers and the expansion of Spain's high-speed rail network.
Spanair is the third Spanish airline to shut down in recent years, following the collapse of low-cost airlines Air Comet and Air Madrid. Its main competitors were European discount carriers such as Vueling Airlines, which is controlled by Iberia; U.K.-basedEasyJet PLC; and Ireland's Ryanair Holdings PLC.
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