Flying Icelanders to the Canary Islands after Play’s collapse
From Tenerife. Ingólfsson says his team had to think fast. AFP
“We have a large number of passengers booked to Gran Canaria and Tenerife this winter, and many of those had originally booked with Play,” says Andri Már Ingólfsson, CEO of the travel agency Aventura, in an interview with mbl.is.
After Play announced its shutdown, Aventura quickly arranged for direct flights to the Canary Islands by partnering with Smartwings, which has flown for the agency for two decades.
“We secured an aircraft that will operate the first flight to the Canaries on December 19, making sure Christmas trips go ahead for people who were stranded without their holiday. We’ll continue flying through Easter, and into the summer we’ll be adding a new destination, which we’ll announce in Morgunblaðið this weekend,” Ingólfsson explained.
Andri Már Ingólfsson and his team at Aventura wasted no time when turbulence hit the airline market this week, striking a deal with Smartwings to fly Icelanders to the Canary Islands for Christmas and through the winter. Photo/Courtesy
“We’re on home turf there”
Smartwings, owned by Czech Airlines, has long served Icelandic tour operators and is considered a reliable partner.
“It’s a great relief to offer our passengers, who had booked with Play, this excellent alternative,” Aventura said in a press release.
Ingólfsson, who previously founded Heimsferðir and was among those who first opened the Canary Islands to the Icelandic market, noted how demand from Nordic travelers for sunshine during the long, dark winter has made the islands a perennial favorite.
“We’re on home turf there, with hundreds of passengers already booked. That’s a very different starting point than launching with empty planes. We’ve taken a careful approach, but this was the moment to step in,” he said, adding that Aventura’s phone lines have been buzzing since Play’s collapse.
Canary Islands like a summer cottage
Although Aventura has not offered direct flights to the Canaries in its six years of operation — due to strong supply from Icelandair and Play — the market situation has now changed.
“This is the right time to bring in a reliable carrier that can offer good prices,” Ingólfsson said, recalling how trips to the Canaries in the 1980s often lasted two to three weeks, with only a handful of flights each winter.
“Now it’s more like a summer cottage for many people — and of course, it has the best climate in Europe at this time of year,”
he concluded, busy organizing the escape of Icelanders from winter darkness to sunshine.
