As part of a strategic adjustment of its fleet and route network, Icelandic low-cost airline Play will permanently discontinue summer flights to Hamburg and Düsseldorf, as well as seasonal flights to Madeira and Pula, until 2027. This measure follows a previously announced plan to lease up to four aircraft until the end of 2027. While some aircraft are leaving the fleet, a new aircraft has been added for the summer.
A Play spokesperson, Birgir Olgeirsson, emphasized that the summer flight schedule continues to include numerous sunny destinations. The cancellation of these routes is part of the implementation of this plan. This affects the connections to Hamburg and Düsseldorf, which will be permanently discontinued, as well as the summer flights to Madeira and Pula, with flights to Madeira scheduled to resume in the winter.
In return, Play is expanding its offerings to other Southern European destinations. The frequency of flights to Split, Croatia, will be increased to twice a week, and three additional destinations in Portugal will be added to the schedule. Flights to Berlin will remain, and connections to other sunny cities in Southern Europe will be expanded.
This strategic realignment indicates a stronger focus for Play on holiday destinations in Southern Europe. The route network adjustments could also be related to an optimization of fleet utilization and a focus on more profitable routes.
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