Nordic budget airline Primera Air has become the latest European carrier to go bust, telling staff that all flights were being halted and leaving thousands of passengers stranded, Reuters reported. Primera Air, which is Icelandic-owned but based in Copenhagen, began in 2003 and has served 97 destinations in more than 20 countries. The airline announced last month that it planned to launch routes from Madrid to New York, Boston and Toronto next year at an introductory price of 149 euros ($172) each way. It also announced in September plans for direct long-haul flights from Frankfurt to New York, Boston, Toronto and Montreal from next year. The collapse comes exactly a year after Britain’s Monarch Airlines went under after falling victim to intense competition for flights and a weaker pound. Air Berlin, Germany’s second-largest airline, filed for bankruptcy protection in August 2017. Primera was forced to cancel flights earlier this year, citing delays in receiving aircraft from Airbus, but has faced growing complaints about poor service and late refunds.
