Blue Air has suspended all flights departing from and to Romania
The airline Blue Air announced on Tuesday that it will suspend all flights from Romania until Monday, September 12, due to the fact that all its accounts have been blocked. Blue Air’s announcement prompted chaos at Otopeni/Henri Coanda Airport after travelers discovered their flights had been canceled. According to Antena 3, 1,200 passengers are now stranded at Otopeni Airport.
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă has asked for solutions to unblock the situation, because “we cannot let the Romanians wait in the airports from which they were going to come to the country”. The Prime Minister stated that it is about 3,000 passengers affected by the cancellation of flights.
In his turn, Environment Minister Tanczos Barna confirmed the blocking of the company’s accounts by the Environmental Fund Administration for a debt of 28 million lei, but refused to unblock the accounts, as requested by Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, and said that Blue Air must resume flights immediately. Minister Tanczos Barna said Blue Air must ask the Environmental Fund Administration to reschedule its debts.
Tanczos Barna said the Ministry of the Environment, through the National Environment Administration, had seized Blue Air’s accounts because the company had allegedly failed to pay greenhouse gas certificates, which are mandatory for the aviation industry.
“The accounts were blocked by the AFM because Blue Air is in enforcement proceedings, which is why the claim was recovered. The decision to suspend flights is unjustified. Blocking accounts does not justify stopping flights. I demand that Blue Air resume flights immediately, honor its obligations to customers. Blue Air to ask the AFM for the installment of the debts. It has not purchased and returned greenhouse gas certificates. Blue Air did not follow the law,” the minister argued.
On the other hand, Blue Air company accuses the president of the National Authority for Consumer Protection (ANPC), Horia Constantinescu, that his statements would have led to the destruction of passengers’ trust in Blue Air, generating losses of over 5 million euros, by reducing the volume of ticket sales. Also, Blue Air claims that Constantinescu’s statements would have led to increased pressure from key suppliers to pay in advance the amounts necessary for daily operations, as well as blocking the discussions held in London by Blue Air’s shareholders with two large investment firms interested in entry into the Blue Air shareholding.
Recently, the company was fined 2 million euros by the Consumer Protection, because the operator canceled almost two hundred thousand reservations, between 04.30.2021 and 04.30.2022. The company said that it will challenge in court the fine received by the National Authority for Consumer Protection (ANPC) and accused that ANPC representatives fine the company even though it does not have the most canceled flights.
Later, the president of ANPC, Horia Constantinescu, said that Blue Air is preparing to exit the market and is delaying receiving the minutes regarding the fine applied by ANPC and regarding the obligation to return the money to consumers.
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