Silver Airways abruptly ceased operations amid a bankruptcy filing early Wednesday, and all flights, including those out of Tampa International Airport, have been canceled.
"Please do not go to the airport," the Florida-based regional airline wrote on a social media post announcing the company’s closure.
The decision to close was made by Wexford Capital, a West Palm Beach investment firm that took control of the airline’s assets last week after a bankruptcy auction failed to attract any bidders.
Operations were ceased in Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
In Tampa, Silver offered nonstop flights to Fort Lauderdale, Key West and Pensacola.
“The airline encourages customers to seek refunds through credit card companies and/or travel agencies,” Tampa International Airport wrote in an alert on its website.
The airport said other airlines offer flights from Tampa to Fort Lauderdale, Key West and Pensacola. Click here for that list.
The sudden shuttering stranded passengers at all the airports served by the carrier.
The carrier, based in Hollywood, announced Dec. 30 that was seeking Chapter 11 protection with more than $100 million in debt after losing a key lender.
Last week, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida ordered an auction of the company.
Silver Airways was operating because of a $5.7 million dollar loan from Wexford Capital. That figure was the “stalking-horse” offer at the auction — the price to beat if another company was going to acquire the airline.
No one made a better offer, so Wexford Capital took control of the airline.
The financial picture worsened for the regional airline in recent months. A mechanical issue caused Silver to miss out on Memorial Day weekend revenue.
Silver Airways has continued to operate during its bankruptcy process, though it has reduced its fleet by half in recent months and was down to about 350 employees.
CEO Steven Rossum sent an email to employees late Tuesday about the closure and telling them Wexford would retain only “a few.”
Altogether, Silver served five Florida cities and 11 Caribbean destinations. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport served as a hub for flights to Tampa, Tallahassee, Pensacola and Key West.
Silver’s affiliated carrier, Seaborne Airlines, will continue to operate. Seaborne, which serves the U.S. Virgin Islands, was listed as a debtor in the December bankruptcy filing.
Information from WLRN was used in this report.
