The airline, which existed for 23 years and was acquired by Lithuanian conglomerate Avia Solutions Group in 2020, surrendered its air operator certificate to the Icelandic Civil Aviation Authority and is returning aircraft to lessors, trade publication ch-aviation first reported.
Bluebird Nordic was a victim of rapid expansion, in response to soaring demand during the pandemic, just as the global freight market went into an 18-month cooldown. Demand hit bottom late last summer and has been on an upswing since, with five consecutive months of double-digit growth.
The airline, based at Keflavik International Airport in Reykjavik, operated four Boeing 737-400 converted freighters and three 737-800 converted freighters that were acquired in the past year. The 737-800s replaced three older 737s. A Boeing ...