Iceland’s startup airline PLAY will be bound for London Stansted in June
Iceland’s newest airline PLAY has launched its ticket sales for seven destinations across Europe, with its inaugural flight bound for London Stansted on 24 June.
Giving away 1,000 free tickets, the startup airline saw them all snapped up within 3 hours of its website going live last week. The Stansted flights are set to run four times a week via Iceland to the US.
Founded in 2019, PLAY aims to offer a low-cost alternative to travellers going to and from Iceland, as well as across the Atlantic for its US flights.
The new airline is looking to become a key player in the Icelandic tourism sector and secured its Air Operators Certificate earlier this month – giving it the green light to begin flights.
“It was an important milestone when we secured the support of AerCap and Airbus as they know the industry inside out and their support carries a lot of weight,” chief operating officer Arnar Már Magnússon said in a statement.
The pandemic will continue to scupper the airline’s plans until 24 June when restrictions are eased. However, it has given the startup extra time to prepare for the influx of travellers in the post-pandemic industry.
“It is a long time which we have used well to prepare the low-cost airline for a turnaround in tourism in Iceland,” CEO Birgir Jónsson said.