Spanish government will take action against airline Spanair

The Spanish government says it is taking action against airline Spanair for allegedly committing security breaches and trampling on citizens' consumer rights by ceasing operations.

Development Minister Ana Pastor said Saturday the government was initiating proceedings which could lead to Spanair being fined 9 million euro ($11.8 million) for two "serious infringements" of aviation security legislation.

Spanair said late Friday it had "taken the decision to cease operations," grounding its fleet. An estimated 22,000 passengers who had booked seats on 220 canceled flights have been left looking for alternative arrangements.

The airline, whose hub was Barcelona airport, employed around 2,000 people and used the services of some 1,200 ground staff. It stopped operating after a Spanish regional government announced it could no longer fund the airline.

Spanair's financial woes were exacerbated by a 2008 crash that killed 154 people. Eighteen people survived what was Spain's worst aviation disaster in 25 years. In a statement, the airline said its "last commercial flight will land at" 10 p.m. (2100 GMT) on Jan. 27.

Spanair has a fleet of 36 mainly aging aircraft and flew to 19 domestic and 24 international destinations, which included Algeria and Poland. The airline, which also ran a commuter service between Madrid and Barcelona, was in trouble financially before Spanair Flight JK5022, an MD-82 jet, crashed on takeoff on Aug. 20, 2008 as it tried to leave Madrid bound for the Canary Islands.