Cobalt Air warns passengers that all flights are canceled | Business

The Cypriot airline Cobalt Air has canceled all its flights and suspended its activities for an indefinite period, advising customers not to go to the airport.

Cobalt, which has been transporting passengers to and from Cyprus since 2016, has served 23 destinations and operated flights to Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick and Manchester. He canceled all flights from 23:50 on Wednesday night, the airline said in a statement posted on its website.

In a later statement quoted by the Cyprus Mail newspaper, Cobalt said it appealed to directors after failing to secure long-term funding.

"It is with great regret that we must inform you that Cobalt Air will cease all operations at midnight on October 17, 2018 and will enter the administration process after two years and three months of operation," reads in the press release.

"[It] is a sad day for all Cobalt Air employees and passengers. The company has worked tirelessly in recent months to provide long-term financing for the airline. "

Cypriot Transport Minister Vasiliki Anastasiadou pledged state support to all those stranded in Cyprus or abroad and announced that phone numbers would soon be announced to help passengers.

Cobalt's disappearance comes after the collapse of the Danish budget carrier Primera Air earlier this month. The British regional airline Flybe warned on Wednesday of the rise in annual losses, with lower demand from consumers and higher fuel prices.

Heathrow said, "We will provide assistance to customers who come to the airport."

On its website, Cobalt advised passengers with unused tickets not to travel to Larnaca Airport or a departure airport on Thursday, as no Cobalt flights would be operational and no Cobalt personnel would Was present.

The largest Cyprus-based airline also advised travelers to contact their credit card or travel agent for a refund.

The company, which has six aircraft and employs about 200 people, was created following the disappearance of Cyprus Airways, a public company, in 2015. It was not clear right away how many customers would be affected by flight cancellations. Cobalt.

Journalist The Guardian Aamna Mohdin is among those affected.

She said: "My husband, Chris, and I booked flight tickets for our honeymoon Sunday in Cyprus, but we woke up with the unpleasant surprise that Cobalt Air canceled all flights and either the point of being liquidated. We were able to quickly re-book tickets with Ryanair, but we do not think we'll be very lucky to get a refund for the original flight because we booked directly with Cobalt Air using a debit card.

"Best advice: take out travel insurance, book flights with a credit card and find a partner who will make you laugh even if you wake up to the news that you have lost hundreds of pounds."

As for Primera, the Civil Aviation Authority said it would not intervene to bring British passengers home. Cobalt being not a British airline, it is not covered by the Atol protection system. Atol protects most of the air travel packages sold by authorized travel companies in the UK.

When the British airline Monarch went bankrupt a year ago, about 110,000 customers were brought home by CAA on specially chartered aircraft, the largest repatriation to the United Kingdom in peacetime.

Neil Wilson, an analyst at markets.com, was also scheduled to fly with Cobalt on Sunday.