PLAY obtained the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) on May 16 and, without mishap, announced seven destinations to Spain, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Germany and France from the capital of Iceland.
PLAY was founded in 2019, with the aim of filling the space left by WOW Air, which between 2012 and 2019 was very important in the island’s market. The company focused on two businesses, attracting tourists to the country and using Reykjavik as a hub for those passengers who wanted to travel between North America and Europe in the most economical way. Iceland’s geographical position has made it an attractive stopover point for these flights across the Atlantic.
WOW Air had its edge of glory in 2018 with up to 36 destinations served and a mixed fleet of Airbus A320 / A321 and A330. Despite having had two years of profitability, the airline could not bear its structure after having over-expanded its operations. The company did not have a balance between the expansion obtained and its resources, so by the end of 2018 it began to falter.
It quickly began to shrink and retire aircraft, reaching cessation of operations on March 28, 2019. The company had a large market share and this closure harmed Iceland causing a crisis in tourism, fishing and an increase in unemployment. There was a lost of 16% of tourists in general and 20% of visitors from the United States that same year.
After this chaos, WAB air (“We Are Back”) emerged, which in the future will become the current PLAY, with two former WOW Air executives, Arnar Már Magnússon and Sveinn Ingi Steinþórsson. The airline will be backed by the Irish investment fund Avianta Aviation, which is owned by the daughter of one of the founders of Ryanair. It was expected to be launched in 2020, but the effect of COVID 19 delayed the plans.
Last month the company obtained several investments from some local companies, also Birgir Jónsson replaced Arnar Már Magnússon as CEO. Jónsson had previously served as Chief Operating Officer of WOW Air.
Now that Iceland allows the entry of vaccinated tourists, the airline wasted no time with the Icelandic aeronautical authorities (ICETRA) and its first Airbus A321neo obtained the AOC on May 16.
We have Acquired our Air Operators Certificate from The Icelandic Transport Authority ICETRA. After long preparations, the certificate for our first Airbus A321NEO airplane TF-AEW has been signed. #flyPLAY #airbusA321 pic.twitter.com/maXyp8sQPd
— PLAY (@PlayAirlines) May 16, 2021
The A321neo arrived on May 19 on the island as TF-AEW, ex-Interjet, negotiated by the lessor AerCap. Then it will receive two more that were from the same Mexican airline.
On Tuesday May 18, the airline announced seven destinations from Reyjkavik (KEF) in Iceland: Alicante (ALC), Barcelona (BCN) and Tenerife (TNF) in Spain; London / Stansted (STN) in the UK; Paris / Charles de Gaulle (CDG) in France; Berlin (BER) in Germany and Copenhagen (CPH) in Denmark. All these destinations will start between June and July 2021, the peak of the summer season in Europe.
Schedule
| Destinations | Frequencies | Starting date | Competitors |
| Alicante (ALC) | Mon-Fri | 12 of July | No competitor |
| Barcelona (BCN) | Sun – Thu | 15 of July | Icelandair and Vueling |
| Berlín (BER) | Wed – Thu – Sat – Sun | 1st of July | Icelandair |
| Copenhaguen (CPH) | Wed – Sat | 21 of July | SAS Scandinavian Airlines |
| London/Stansted (STN) | Wed – Thu – Sat – Sun | 23 of June | No competitor |
| Paris/Charles de Gaulle (CDG) | Wed – Thu – Sat – Sun | 14 of July | Icelandair |
| Tenerife (TFS) | Mon- Fri | 28 of June | Icelandair |
The Icelandic airline will have up to 7,680 weekly seats offered each month in this first phase of its operations, as the other aircraft are incorporated it will increase their frequencies.
The cost of the tickets starts from EUR 50 (USD 61) per section. Because it is a low cost, additional items such as luggage, seat selection, and menus have to be added.
