HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — A South Florida-based airline suddenly announced Wednesday that they are ending operations.
In an Instagram post addressed to customers, Silver Airways said all its flights in Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean were canceled.
WATCH BELOW: Silver Airways suddenly ends operations
Based in Hollywood, Silver Airways said Wednesday that it attempted to restructure its bankruptcy by selling its assets to another airline holding company, but that unnamed company "determined to not continue Silver's flight operations."
Travelers with a Silver Airlines ticket were advised Wednesday not to go to the airport.
"All credit card purchases should be refunded through your credit card company or your travel agency," the airline said.
BANKRUPTCY FILED IN DECEMBER
The airline was founded in 2011 and has faced financial problems over the last decade.
Silver Airways filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Dec. 30, 2024. A few days later, CEO Steven Rossum filed a declaration detailing the root of the airline's financial struggles.
The CEO said the company's issues are rooted in deals dating back to 2017 and 2018 when Silver made plans to convert its fleet to ATR 600-series aircraft. According to Rossum, the France-based ATR, and a company that was set to lease Silver Airways 20 ATR planes, didn't hold up their end of the deal.
Among several issues that Rossum said contributed to a turbulent rollout of the new planes, he said the aircraft manufacturer provided Silver Airways with incomplete manuals that "were partially in French." That, and other issues Rossum blamed on ATR, led to costly delays in getting the airline's pilots certified to fly the ATRs.
"50% of Silver's pilots were in training at one point — an exorbitantly high number," Rossum wrote in court documents.
Rossum also said the leasing company declared bankruptcy, having only delivered 10 of the 20 planes.
The COVID-19 pandemic then led to a parts shortage, leaving Silver Airways unable to maintain its fleet.
These issues contributed to a series of financial and logistical setbacks that impacted the airline's service, wearing on the trust of customers and employees, Rossum said.
The court filing also said that "ATR has denied responsibility."
Despite the problems that the CEO said the company struggled to overcome, he reported in the declaration that the carrier had been doing better in recent months, citing major operational improvements and a spike in sales heading into 2025.
WPTV was unable to reach Silver Airways by phone or email on Wednesday. The law firm representing Silver did not return a voicemail seeking comment.
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, the union that represents 55,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines, including Silver Airways, said nearly a hundred flight attendants are now unemployed.
"We are incredibly disappointed that Silver management was not able to turn the airline around," Association of Flight Attendants-CWA spokeswoman Taylor Garland said in a statement. "Nearly a hundred Flight Attendants have lost their jobs overnight. Our union is mobilized at all levels to get Flight Attendants their last paycheck and outstanding benefits from the airline. We are working to support members with unemployment claims and finding work at other airlines."
Before Wednesday's announcement, Silver Airlines offered nonstop flights from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa, Tallahassee, Key West and multiple locations in the Bahamas.
