Holidaymakers stranded as OLT Express suspends charters
PR dla Zagranicy
John Beauchamp
31.07.2012 12:30
Polish budget airline OLT Express has announced the suspension of its international charter flights as the carrier, which started operations earlier in 2012, has fallen into financial turmoil.
Schon nach 3 Monaten geht der Billigflieger bankrott
The flight cancellations have meant disruptions for almost 700 Polish holidaymakers set to go on package holidays to Egypt.
Some 360 tourists who booked their holidays through the Sun&Fun travel agency were expecting to fly with OLT Express on Tuesday morning from Warsaw and Katowice.
“These tourists [...] have now been transferred onto flights operated by LOT and will leave today,” Sun&Fun chairman Samir Hamouda earlier told journalists.
However, tourists travelling with the Itaka, Rainbow Tours and Alfa Star agencies have also seen a delay to the start of their holidays.
“The lease on our planes [has been withdrawn] and we had no chance to undertake today’s flights,” OLT Express press spokesperson Magdalena Grzybowska told Radio ZET, Tuesday morning.
A total of four departures and two arrivals have been cancelled as a result of the airline’s dire financial situation.
A number of Poles expecting to return from holiday with OLT Express will also be ferried home by LOT Polish Airlines, the national carrier has announced.
OLT Express was founded in 2011 after strategic investor Amber Gold bought two airlines – OLT Jetair and Yes Airways.
Last week OLT Express announced via its website that it is suspending all scheduled flights from last Friday until further notice. However, it maintained that all charter flights would still go ahead. (jb)
Source: PAP/IAR