Canadian ultra low-cost carrier Lynx Air has announced that it will cease flight operations as of 12:01 a.m. MT on February 26, 2024 following mounting financial pressure.
In a statement on their website, they said:
“Tremendous work was put into the growth and expansion of Lynx Air over the past two years, offering Canadians a low-cost, seamless travel experience for Canadians. However, the compounding financial pressures associated with inflation, fuel costs, exchange rates, cost of capital, regulatory costs and competitive tension in the Canadian market have ultimately proven too steep a mountain for our organization to overcome. It is with a heavy heart we leave the skies. We hope in our absence that our vision to Inspire More Canadians to Fly leaves its mark on our passengers.”
In their FAQ, they are aiming to fulfill as many flights as possible up to February 25. Customers whose flights end up being canceled will be notified by email. As for those booked to fly on February 26 and beyond, the company is encouraging affected customers to contact their respective credit card companies to file chargebacks in order to get a refund, as the airline themselves will not facilitate be able to refund requests via their call centers. Any unused flight vouchers are also immediately voided.
Just days before, reports from various Canadian outlets suggested that Flair Airlines and Lynx Air could potentially merge. Both airlines are dealing with their own share of financial problems, with Flair fighting with its lessors over non-payment issues related to four of its aircraft.
Prior to these talks, Lynx Air and Flair were in an all out war against each other trying to dominate in the ultra low cost market.
In a statement to the Toronto Star, former Air Canada executive and head of McGill University’s Global Aviation Leadership Program John Gradek said both carriers “were chasing each other down the rabbit hole with low fares.
“It just wasn’t sustainable. They were barely making enough to cover fuel costs on some of those flights.”
In 2006, Lynx Air was initially founded as a charter airline called New Air & Tours before being rebranded as EnerJet in 2008. Even though the carrier aimed to launch as a low cost carrier, they performed a number of charter flights, ferrying employees for various energy companies. They also performed leisure charters during peak travel periods.
Fast forward to 2021, the airline was rebranded as Lynx Air, launching its first scheduled flights on April 7, 2022. Operating out of Calgary (YYC) and Toronto-Pearson (YYZ), Lynx Air operated a fleet of nine Boeing 737 MAX 8. The airline was expected to take on 17 more MAX 8s, and 21 higher density MAX 8 200s.
The carrier flew to a number of destinations across Canada, the United States, and even recently started service to Cancun, Mexico.
[Featured Photo: Fly Lynx ]
