Snowbird Airlines (Helsinki Vantaa) has cancelled its Lappeenranta and Oulu operations with immediate effect citing Russian tour operators decision to discontinue tours connecting Lappeenranta with Alicante, Spain.
Finland's YLE Newswire says, beginning this October, the Finnish charter carrier had planned to offer flights from the northern Finnish city of Oulu to Malaga and Alicante as well as from Lappeenranta to Alicante.
Airline CEO Marja Aalto said that since the Russian tour operator's decision to withdraw from the deal, no suitable replacement had yet been found leaving the carrier no choice but to suspend the flights. While the hunt goes on for a replacement, Aalto reassured passengers that flights to Spain from Helsinki Vantaa would go ahead as planned.
Flights between Enontekio and London Gatwick have now been postponed until December at the behest of British tour operators.
The carrier has also said that it is in talks with Budapest Aircraft Services (RP, Budapest) concerning the use of its E120 on flights between Helsinki and Ivalo.
Currently a virtual carrier, Snowbird is in talks with Spanish LCC, Vueling Airlines (VY, Barcelona El Prat), to provide it with longterm capacity, especially on its Finland - Spain routes.
“At first we are likely to use other operators, as our partnership to use Vueling’s aircraft and crew will not be implemented until the year-end,” says the Snowbird CEO.
