AtlasGlobal resumes operations after month-long halt
After ceasing all flights last month due to financial difficulties, Turkey's AtlasGlobal has resumed regular operations as originally planned.
The airline took the drastic step of grounding all of its fleet on 26 November 2019, but indicated at the time that it would resume operations on 21 December 2019, allowing time to restructure and improve its cashflow. While for some airlines a temporary grounding is the first public sign of an airline collapsing, as seen with Star Alliance member Adria Airways recently, AtlasGlobal stayed true to its word. Flights on the popular London Stansted (STN) to Istanbul (IST) route resumed over the weekend in time for the busy holiday travel period.
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The airline's website is now accepting new flight bookings after shutting down for the four-week period completely. The only reference to previously cancelled flights is that all flights during that period are 'on hold'. If you held a booking on the airline during the period of 26 November to 21 December and you were not contacted by the airline, you should now contact it to discuss options for refunds or rebooking. If you made a booking on AtlasGlobal for travel in 2020 before 26 November 2019, you should also check the status of your booking, as the airline may not operate exactly the same schedule as prior to the shutdown.
AtlasGlobal has blamed several factors for its financial position including decreased demand for tourism in Turkey following political unrest, and increased costs of operating from the new, state-of-the-art Istanbul Airport.