A further 4,500 holidaymakers stranded abroad by the collapse of Thomas Cook were set to arrive home on Friday, as the UK aviation regulator prepares to wind down Britain’s biggest peacetime repatriation mission.
The Civil Aviation Authority said more than 90% of the 150,000 holidaymakers abroad at the time of Thomas Cook’s failure have been brought home to the UK under Operation Matterhorn. The airlift officially comes to an end on Sunday, when nearly 800 flights involving 140 aircraft will have taken place since the holiday firm entered liquidation two weeks ago.
“Around 90% of Thomas Cook passengers have now been repatriated and we will continue to work around the clock to support the final passengers’ return to the UK,” said Richard Moriarty, the chief executive of the CAA.
The CAA said 94% of people had flown back on the original days of their cancelled Thomas Cook flights.
Moriarty said some holidays booked through Thomas Cook travel agents remained valid because they were booked with tour operators outside the Thomas Cook Group.
“Check your booking documents and, if you still aren’t sure if your holiday is valid, confirm with your nearest Abta-approved travel agent,” he said.
Separately, Johan Lundgren, the chief executive of easyJet, said the company was looking at Thomas Cook’s assets.
“Of course, like all airlines and tour operators, we will look at what might be of interest to us from the Thomas Cook network,” he told the German newspaper Die Welt. “But there is no decision yet.”
Before its collapse last month, Thomas Cook received seven non-binding offers for parts of its business – its airline operation, tour operator and Nordic business – which were all rejected by its board and lenders.
On Tuesday, Michael O’Leary, the boss of Ryanair, criticised the CAA for awarding Thomas Cook a “fit to fly” licence for another year, months before its collapse. In the wake of the Thomas Cook debacle, O’Leary, who praised the CAA for the planning and handling of Operation Matterhorn, made a bleak prediction for the future of the package holiday industry, saying: “It’s screwed, it’s over”.
According to the travel industry group Abta, half of UK holidaymakers took a package holiday last year, a figure that has held steady since 2014. Thomas Cook’s rival Tui has fared better, with strong demand for holiday experiences. It also owns many of its hotels.
Earlier this week, the Financial Reporting Council, Britain’s accounting watchdog, began an investigation into EY’s auditing of Thomas Cook’s accounts. While thousands of holidaymakers have been waiting for the government’s emergency airlift to get them home, former Thomas Cook bosses have come in for heavy criticism for pocketing payouts worth more than £35m over the last 12 years.
In a witness statement to the high court, Peter Fankhauser, Thomas Cook’s last chief executive, revealed the stricken travel company had a balance sheet black hole of more than £3.1bn before its collapse.
Last month, the business, energy and industrial strategy committee of MPs announced an inquiry into the role of “corporate greed” in the collapse of Thomas Cook, focusing on directors’ stewardship of the company, how much they were paid and how its accounts were prepared and signed off by auditors.
