FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Florida-based Silver Airways has announced it’s ceasing operations on Wednesday.
The airline said late Tuesday on social media that while it had entered into a transaction to sell its assets to another airline holding company in an attempt to restructure in bankruptcy, that company has since chosen to not continue Silver Airways’ flight operations in Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
“Please do not go to the airport,” the post states. “All credit card purchases should be refunded through your credit card company or your travel agency.”
The airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December but said at the time that all tickets would still be valid and operations would continue as usual.
Come March 3, all of Silver Airways’ arriving and departing flights at Orlando International Airport were suddenly canceled.
[WATCH: Silver Airways abruptly cancels all flights at Orlando International Airport]
Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Silver Airways sold itself as “a leading regional U.S. airline operating flights between gateways in Florida, the Southeast and The Bahamas,” according to its website.
The Silver Airways fleet is comprised of modern, state of the art aircraft with reliable, fuel-efficient turbo-prop engines.
In the summer of 2018, Silver completed the acquisition of Seaborne Airlines, a San Juan, Puerto Rico-based air carrier serving destinations throughout Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and other countries in the Caribbean. Seaborne provides connections throughout the Caribbean via the carrier’s hub in San Juan, while also serving as the most critical link between St. Croix and St. Thomas with the carrier’s seaplane operation.
www.silverairways.com/about-silver (excerpt)
Silver’s fleet had been reduced to just eight ATR turboprop planes and its workforce cut from 608 to 348 pilots, flight attendants and ground workers, according to the company. An email to employees from Silver’s CEO said most of those jobs will be eliminated.
Silver Airways began operations in 2011 and once served 28 destinations. A subsidiary based in Puerto Rico, Seaborne Airlines, will continue to operate in the Caribbean.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.