A US regional airline announced Wednesday that it was shutting down all operations, issuing an ominous warning to ticketholders to not to come to the airport.
Silver Airways, with a main hub in Fort Lauderdale, operated routes across various destinations.
Florida
, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and to several airports across the Caribbean.
In Florida, Silver traveled to Tampa, Tallahassee, Key West, and Pensacola. In the Bahamas, visitors had access to Bimini, Nassau, and Freeport.
The beleaguered airline has recently disclosed that it has filed for bankruptcy.
“In an effort to reorganize through bankruptcy, Silver agreed to sell its assets to another airline holding company. However, this company has decided against continuing Silver’s flight operations,” the firm stated.
said
.
The airline advised customers with reservations or purchased tickets not to head to the airport.
Alternatively, it suggested that customers seek refunds for their credit card transactions either via their credit card company or their travel agency.
Silver declared bankruptcy in December, initiating a gradual cessation of its operations.
In March, it halted all of its flights departing from Orlando International Airport. Then, in early June, the carrier conducted a bankruptcy auction which failed to attract any bids.
On Wednesday, the private equity company Wexford Capital acquired the airline, signifying its formal conclusion.
“It is with a sorrowful heart that I convey the challenging information that following several months traversing Chapter 11 bankruptcy, this chapter is closing for the majority of us at Silver Airways,” CEO Steven Rossum stated in a letter shared with the firm’s 350 leftover staff members, as per records acquired by the media.
South Florida Sun Sentinel
.
“Wexford Capital, our debtor-in-possession lender, has notified us that they will cease supporting operations and, with limited exceptions, will not keep our employees,” he went on to say.
In April, Wexford supplied $5.5 million in funding to keep Silver afloat, the
Miami Herald
reported.
A select few team members will remain temporarily to help with managing assets and documentation. These individuals will receive direct communication from us. Seaborne will maintain its regular operating schedule,” he concluded.
Seaborne is a minor carrier that became part of the Silver group in 2018.
Silver is a fairly new airline, having been established in late 2011 following the bankruptcy of Gulfstream International Airways. At that time, it enhanced its fleet by acquiring six Saab 340Bplus turboprops. These aircraft each featured 34 seats and sported vibrant magenta paint jobs on their exteriors.
Silver’s founding CEO, Dave Pflieger, often reminisced about the early days of air travel, recalling how passengers would dress up for flights with airlines such as Pan Am and TWA.
It has an almost nostalgic feel reminiscent of days gone by with the way we fly now, akin to the Elizabeth Taylor era when people would walk onto the tarmac, board the aircraft, and gaze out the window at the spinning propellers,” he explained to the Herald in 2012. “This style of flying takes us back to those classic times.
Silver previously transported travelers to nine Cuban destinations beyond Havana using 34-seater aircraft but discontinued its operations in Cuba in 2017 due to low passenger volume.
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