Canadian budget airline Bobcat Air announces end of operations

　　China News Service, Toronto, February 22 (Reporter Yu Ruidong) Lynx Airlines, a Canadian low-cost airline that has been operating for less than two years, announced on the 22nd that it will cease operations starting from the 26th.

The company has applied to the court for a creditor protection order.

　　Bobcat Airlines said that the company has invested a lot of energy in development and expansion over the past two years, but ultimately the complex financial pressures related to inflation, fuel costs, exchange rates, capital costs, regulatory costs and fierce competition in the Canadian market proved to be insurmountable. of mountain peaks.

The company will arrange refunds for passengers who booked flights on or after the 26th and promises to end operations as "seamlessly" as possible.

　　The airline is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta.

Its predecessor was Enerjet Airlines and was renamed Bobcat in November 2021.

Bobcat Airlines' first flight took off on April 7, 2022.

　　Canadian official information shows that the company currently has nine Boeing 737-8 passenger aircraft.

In addition to routes within Canada, the company also operates routes to Cancun, Mexico and many cities in the United States.

The pilots union said Bobcat Airlines currently employs 160 pilots and cabin crew.

　　Canadian Federal Transport Minister Rodriguez said in a statement that night that the suspension of Bobcat Airlines will have an impact on passengers, employees and their families, as well as communities across Canada.

He hoped that Bobcat Airlines would properly deal with the aftermath, and said that government departments will maintain communication with other airlines and other parties to ensure that passengers are put first.

　　WestJet, Canada's second-largest airline, closed its low-cost airline subsidiary Swoop Airlines in late October last year.

Swoop's operations were fully integrated into WestJet's mainline operations and its employees were transferred to WestJet.

In early May last year, WestJet announced the completion of its acquisition of discount airline Sunwing Airlines, thereby expanding its vacation travel operations.

　　Currently, low-cost airlines operating in Canada include Flair Airlines, Porter Airlines, Canada Jetlines, and Rouge Airlines, a subsidiary of Air Canada.

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