Airlines Small Planet Airlines Germany ceases operations

Small Planet Airlines Germany GmbH was the Germany subsidiary airline of the Small Planet Group and has been operating since 2015. In 2016, the carrier acquired its Air Operator´s Certificate (AOC).

Several difficult circumstances lead to the end of operations for the German operator.

Vytautas Kaikaris, explained: "[...] The company struggled to manage this successfully due to several factors: late delivery of aircraft before the start of the summer season, shortage of crews in the market, unreliable sub charter aircraft and unforeseeable technical events had a devastating impact on a very intense schedule, which led to flight irregularities which in turn led to increasing cost burden."

Small Planet Airlines Germany nearly doubled its presence on the Germany aviation market, as the group saw a potential nice after Air Berlin´s insolvency last year. This rapid expansion didn’t go according to plan.

Kaikaris added, that the financial losses forced the German company to file for a restructuring process. However, the company is said to continue its operations under the restructuring process.

The group´s other Small Planet companies in Lithuania, Poland and Cambodia will continue to operate all their flights as planned. Small Planet Airlines Lithuania and Poland will furthermore operate flights in Asia over the winter flight schedule. This will lead to greater aircraft utilization and better balance.

For 2018, the Small Planet Group aims for a 29% increase in passengers transported, compared to 2017.

Small Planet Airlines Group consists of subsidiary airlines in Lithuania, Cambodia and Poland. Currently, the combined fleet consists of 29 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft. Over the past years, the airline has established 15 European bases, from where 240 leisure routes are being served.