Small Planet Airlines Germany GmbH, a part of Small Planet Group, has commenced a restructuring process. The German Civil Aviation Authority has no objections that the Air Operator’s License will remain in place and therefore, all scheduled flights of Small Planet Airlines GmbH will continue to operate as before.

Small Planet Airlines GmbH has been operating as an independent entity in Germany since the year 2015 and acquired Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) in the spring 2016. This year Small Planet Airlines Germany has decided to go for rapid expansion which didn’t go according to plan.

“After Air Berlin went bankrupt last year, a niche emerged for the other carriers, and Small Planet Airlines Germany chose to almost double in size year on year in order to take advantage of these newly opened possibilities in the market. However, the company struggled to manage this successfully due to several factors: late delivery of aircraft before the start of the summer season, shortage of crews in the market, unreliable sub charter aircraft and unforeseeable technical events had a devastating impact on a very intense schedule, which led to flight irregularities which in turn led to increasing cost burden. The financial losses incurred by the German company forced it to file for a restructuring process under the German law. Nevertheless, the company continues operations under restructuring”, said Vytautas Kaikaris, the CEO of Small Planet Group, adding “we all stand together in this period to achieve the best possible result out of restructuring for our employees, clients and partners”.

Small Planet Airlines in Lithuania, Poland and Cambodia will continue to operate their flights as planned and prepare for the upcoming winter season by cooperating with the tour operators and carrying passengers to the popular tourist destinations. Lithuanian and Polish entities will also continue implementing its seasonal winter projects in Asia, aimed at increasing the aircraft utilization and balancing seasonality. By the end of this year, Small Planet Airlines expects to fly 3,9 million passengers, an increase of 29% from 2017.

As for today, Small Planet Airlines fleet consists of 29 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft. The airline operates around 240 leisure routes from 15 European bases.

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR THE PASSENGERS ABOUT THE INSOLVENCY PROCEEDINGS

Will flight operations in Germany and the Netherlands continue with Small Planet Airlines?
The current flight program and all scheduled flights under 5Pxxxx flight code will be continued according to an agreement with the German civil aviation authorities about further continuation of the flight operation.

Where will I receive a confirmation that my flight will take place?
No separate confirmation about flights that take place will be send. All (electronic or paper) tickets remain valid.

I have booked a package holiday and am flying with Small Planet Airlines Germany - will this still go ahead?
Yes, all flights will be continued as planned. At this point a cancellation of a ticket for a future flight is not permitted. In case a flight will be changed, your tour operator will inform you accordingly with an upfront notice about any change.

Is it safe to fly with Small Planet Airlines?
Yes, Small Planet Airlines is operating under highest European Civil Aviation standards and is safe and will continue to be safe to fly on board of our aircrafts. “Safety first” remains our top priority.

Will there be any changes in the service level during flights with Small Planet Airlines?
During the flight, our crew will continue to keep up the same service level. Food and drinks will still be available during the flight for purchase.

Can I still book a seat reservation, extra luggage or sports equipment without losing my money? What happens with bookings I already made?
All seat reservations, as well as bookings for extra luggage or sports equipment for all flights remain valid. New services can still be booked through our “check-in” function on our website at www.smallplanet.aero.

How can I contact Small Planet Airlines for further information?
We ask for your understanding that due to the current situation the amount of passenger requests will be exceeding our capacities. We can therefore only respond to those which are relevant for the current flight operation.

How can I request special services like Wheelchairs or medical equipment?
Please continue to use info@smallplanet.aero yet put “special service request” into the heading. These will be attended to with priority.

Will I still receive compensation for cancelled flights and delays?
Due to the opening of any insolvency proceedings of Small Planet Airlines GmbH Compensation claims for flight delays prior to 18.09.2018 will have to be lodged to the list of creditors. For this purpose, all affected passengers will automatically receive a form with instructions on how to proceed.