Thomas Cook collapse: 40 per cent of customers already back in the UK

Harriet Brewis @HattieBrewis27 September 2019

A total of 61,000 Thomas Cook holidaymakers have been flown back to the UK, days after the Government launched the biggest peacetime repatriation effort in history.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said 40 per cent of customers have been brought home since the travel giant collapsed in the early hours of Monday, despite fears thousands would be left “stranded”.

The CCA says the repatriation scheme, named Operation Matterhorn, will continue until October 6 with more than 1,000 flights planned in total.

Another 89,000 British passengers will need to be brought back over the coming nine days, after 150,000 saw their flights cancelled by Thomas Cook’s sudden shutdown.

Thomas Cook collapse - In pictures

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But according to the CAA, the repatriation has been largely successful, with 95 per cent of passengers flown home on the planned day of their departure.

The CAA’s chief executive Richard Moriarty said in a statement: “An operation of this scale and complexity will inevitably cause some inconvenience and disruption.

“I am very grateful to holidaymakers for bearing with us as we work around the clock to bring them home.”

The group said it used 69 flights 69 flights to bring back 15,000 people on Thursday alone, with some 72 flights scheduled for Friday to return another 16,000 people.

Meanwhile, Thomas Cook staff are due to gather at Manchester Airport today to raise the topic of unpaid wages.

The latest data from the Insolvency Service shows that 6,000 Thomas Cook staff in the UK have been made redundant and just over 3,000 employees are currently retained.

Thomas Cook was plunged into insolvency after last-ditch rescue talks to raise £250million in emergency funds failed.

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