Primera Air has ceased all operations after a failed long-haul expansion drove the company out of business. The budget carrier had a fleet of 15 aircraft and predominantly flew Scandinavian holidaymakers to resorts in Spain, Greece, Italy, Egypt and Turkey.

Primera Air will cease operations from Birmingham Airport to Alicante, Tenerife, Las Palma, Reykjavik and Malaga on October 29th. The decision was blamed by the Scandinavian carrier on a “capacity reduction”.

A delay on the part of Airbus has been blamed by Primera Air for the suspension of its scheduled flights to New York and Toronto from Birmingham Airport.

Primera Air has taken delivery of its first Airbus A321neo at an event in Hamburg. The event was held in the presence of Andri Már Ingólfsson, chief executive and president of Primera Travel Group, and Kimon Sotiropoulos, vice president, sales, northern and central Europe, Airbus.

Primera Air will begin direct flights five times a week from London Stansted to Washington Dulles airport, with flights commencing August 22nd. The carrier said it also planned to increase flight frequency between London Stansted and Toronto.

Last year was a record year for Primera Air, as the airline carried more than one million passengers for the first time. Direct sales on the airline’s website grew 125 per cent, while the company’s revenue increased 13.7 per cent compared to 2016.