Icelandic low-cost airline ‘Play’ says it is expanding to Canada. The Reykjavik-based carrier says it will offer flights from Canada to 26 European destinations including London, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, Dublin, Brussels, Stockholm, and Gothenburg.

Play says all of its new Canadian flights will be offered out of Hamilton International Airport, with service beginning June 2023.

Play was founded in 2019 to offer low-cost service between North America and Europe. In 2022, it served 25 destinations including four in the US.

The airline says it keeps fares as low as $169 one-way by offering a streamlined, no-frills service without costly features such as magazines, Wi-Fi, and entertainment.

Play passengers pay extra for optional add-ons like in-flight meals, carry-on and checked baggage, seats with extra legroom, and cancellation protection.

While the discount carrier model has been used successfully in Europe and the US by airlines such as Ryanair, Easyjet and Frontier, it is still relatively new in Canada.

However, Edmonton-based Flair Airlines has been aggressively expanding in the last 18 months in an effort to capture the Canadian budget flying market.

Calgary-based Lynx, which launched last year, also bills itself as an ultra-low-cost carrier, while WestJet has been operating its own subsidiary low-fare airline, Swoop, since 2018.