Gatwick based airline collapses
Published Date:
29 August 2008
Hundreds of travellers have been left stranded following the collapse of low-fare airline Zoom.
The Gatwick and Canada-based firm grounded all flights on Thursday night as it prepared to go into administration.
Zoom blamed its financial difficulties on a massive jump in fuel bills as a result of the high cost of oil.
Passengers on both sides of the Atlantic face spending hundreds of pounds on alternative flights to return home.
Zoom's cash crisis became apparent on Wednesday follow the grounding of a Zoom flight from Paris at Calgary airport in Canada.
Glasgow airport was instructed on Thursday by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority to detain a Halifax-bound flight over the non-payment of charges.
Passengers also began queueing for a later flight to Vancouver which never left the ground. Travellers were told of the company's collapse as they continued to wait into the evening.
Zoom, founded by Scottish brothers John and Hugh Boyle, said it had attempted to secure a re-financing package that would have kept its aircraft flying.
But the owners issued an apology to both travellers and its more than 600 staff after failing to strike a deal.
The airline employs about 450 staff in Canada and 260 in the UK.
DO YOU WORK FOR ZOOM? HAVE YOU BEEN STRANDED?
Email matthew.gaw@sussexnewspapers.co.uk or post your stories below.
The full article contains 232 words and appears in n/a newspaper.
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Last Updated:
29 August 2008 9:21 AM
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Source:
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Location:
Crawley