Zoom Airlines Shuts Down

(Brent Jang — Globe & Mail)

Zoom Cargo operations grounded.

Zoom Airlines said Thursday that it has halted flights and grounded its planes, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded and tempers flaring at airports.

“We deeply regret the fact that we have been forced to cease all Zoom operations. It is a tragic day for our passengers and more than 600 staff,” Zoom co-founders Hugh and John Boyle said in a statement. “We are desperately sorry for the inconvenience that this will cause passengers and those who have booked flights.”

The Ottawa-based carrier took down its website Thursday afternoon, preventing consumers from making online bookings. Earlier in the day, a Zoom sales agent said bookings were still being accepted in the morning, despite dozens of travellers being stranded on various flights.

“We have done everything we can to support the airline and left no stone unturned to secure a refinancing package that would have kept our aircraft flying. Even as late as yesterday we had secured a new investment package but the actions of creditors meant we could not continue flying,” the Boyle Brothers said. Read the complete article. Announcement from Zoom Air here.