Iceland-based Startup airline PLAY has launched flight ticket sales to 7 destinations across Europe. The airline’s first route will be to London Stansted.
Operating Certificate secured
Icelandic low-cost carrier WOW air ceased operations in March 2019 and later that year, details of PLAY Airlines were revealed, which is a new startup airline founded by former WOW air executives. Initially, the plan was to launch the airline in the summer of 2020, but the pandemic unsurprisingly delayed that.
PLAY Airlines has secured its operating certificate in Iceland. The airline has secured lease agreements for three Airbus A321neos from AerCap. The 1st of the 3 aircraft will have the registration code TF-AEW. This aircraft used to fly for InterJet and is currently in Houston where it will be painted and then it will be flown to Iceland.
Routes announced
Starting 24th June 2021, PLAY will fly between Reykjavik’s Keflavik airport and London Stansted. With Iceland on the UK’s Green List and the country having opened itself, the airline has opted for London to be its first destination.
Birgir Jónsson, CEO, PLAY Airlines, in a statement said:
It’s brilliant to be able to open up Iceland to UK travellers and offer competitive fares now that international travel has resumed. While the UK market knows Iceland well, the destination has changed a little recently with the (minor) volcanic eruptions in the Reykjanes Peninsula. Certainly, a must-experience for UK travellers.
PLAY is initially launching flights to London 4-times-a-week. However, as more aircrafts arrive, the airline will look to increase this to daily flights.
Flight schedule of Keflavik-London-Keflavik route:
- Keflavik-London
- Departure time: 15:15
- Arrival time: 19:25
- Flight time: 3 hours and 10 minutes
- Flight number: OG804
- Frequency: Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays
- London-Keflavik
- Departure time: 20:25
- Arrival time: 22:35
- Flight time: 3 hours and 10 minutes
- Flight number: OG805
- Frequency: Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays
As PLAY has a low-cost business model, fares are cheap at about $50 one-way.
In addition to London Stansted, PLAY will fly to 6 other destinations. These are Paris, Alicante, Tenerife, Barcelona, Copenhagen and Berlin. Launch dates for these destinations are:
- Tenerife, Spain: 29th June 2021
- Berlin, Germany: 2nd July 2021
- Alicante, Spain: 13th July 2021
- Paris, France: 15th July 2021
- Barcelona, Spain: 16th July
- Copenhagen, Denmark: 22nd July
The airline will get the 1st Airbus A321neo as soon as it is painted and the next 2 Airbus A321neos will be delivered in July. The airline will use these 3 aircrafts for the above mentioned destinations.
Featured image by PLAY
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