Airline cancels flights due to another airline’s bankruptcy
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In a string of insolvencies for regional Scandinavian airlines filed one after another earlier this fall, Malmö-based Braathens Aviation filed for bankruptcy in Swedish court at the end of September over what it claimed were a series of "financial challenges" and "lack of liquidity" needed to continue operations.The parent company launched Braathens International Airways, a regional carrier running flights between smaller cities in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland, in 2022 with an initial fleet of ATR72-600 airliners.The sudden bankruptcy also led to the cancelations of nearly a dozen flights in cities such as Stockholm, Malmö, Goteborg, and Copenhagen in late September and early October than left hundreds of travelers rushing to find transportation alternatives.Austrian Airlines to cancel 12 flights amid canceled Braathens wet lease contractWhile certain Braathens branches continued to operate flights for certain cargo and charter clients, national carrier Austrian Airlines just announced that it has called off its wet lease contract with the aviation company "with immediate effect."The term is used to refer to agreements in which one airline provides an aircraft, crew and necessary licensing to run the flight to another that for any reason does not have the resources or need to operate it independently.Related: Another regional airline files for bankruptcy, cancels all flightsThree of the ATR72-600 turboprop airliners belonging to Braathens had been used to run 12 routes under Austrian Airlines. Austrian Airlines has been a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group since 2009; as part of the operational transition that Braathens is going through for bankruptcy proceedings, it has no longer been providing the key metric data that would qualify it to be a Lufthansa partner."Austrian Airlines' wet-lease partner, Braathens Regional Airways is indirectly affected by the insolvency of its sister company, Braathens International Airways [...]," the airline's representative said in a statement. The Austrian flag carrier is owned by the wider Lufthansa Group.Shutterstock "Some routes will be temporarily suspended or frequencies reduced": Austrian AirlinesAs a result, all of the flights that were supposed to run through Braathens were canceled as of Dec. 15. These include routes from Vienna to Austrian cities like Graz and Klagenfurt as well as to Eastern European capitals like Belgrade, Warsaw and Zagreb among others.These airlines filed for bankruptcy in 2025:Spirit Airlines (Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc.): Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time on August 29,2025.Ravn Alaska: Ceased operations in August 2025 after earlier Chapter 11 proceedings; shut down flights and folded into other operations like New Pacific.Corporate Air: Filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy (restructuring) in September 2025 as part of a planned sale.Play Airlines: The Reykjavik-based airline shut down operations and entered involuntary bankruptcy in September 2025.Braathens Airlines:Forced to file for bankruptcy and canceled all flights in September 2025.Passengers scheduled to take flights within days of the suspension have been rebooked on alternative Lufthansa brands while flights taking place later in the month and early 2026 "will be further examined in a subsequent step for medium- and long-term flight schedule adjustments."More Travel News:Major airline launches surprising flight between Las Vegas and ParisUnited Airlines CEO gives stark warning on Olympic GamesThe highest rooftop in Barcelona is in a surprising placeUS government issues sudden warning on Switzerland travelAustrian Airlines also said that it will be contacting all the travelers affected by the cancelations with rebooking or refund information. The schedule for summer 2026 is currently also being reviewed to take into account the lack of aircraft for routes that had been initially scheduled."At present, necessary short-term adjustments are being made to the Austrian Airlines flight schedule for the coming days and weeks," the Austrian Airlines statement reads further. "While some routes will be temporarily suspended or frequencies reduced during a transition phase, other flight connections can be partially operated either with the Austrian Airlines fleet or Edelweiss, or with other partners closely affiliated with the Lufthansa Group."Related: The US has issued a sudden warning on Thailand travel