110,000 Monarch Customers To Be Flown Home After Airline Collapse

The UK's biggest peacetime repatriation operation is under way to return 110,000 Monarch Airlines customers after the airline collapsed into administration.

"This is the biggest UK airline ever to cease trading"

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said it has been asked by the Government to charter more than 30 aircraft to bring the passengers back to the UK after the airline failed to renew a crucial licence.

Some 300,000 future bookings have been cancelled as a result of the company's failure, the largest to hit a UK airline, and customers have been told to keep away from airports as there will be no more flights.

CAA chief executive Andrew Haines said: "We know that Monarch's decision to stop trading will be very distressing for all of its customers and employees.

"This is the biggest UK airline ever to cease trading, so the Government has asked the CAA to support Monarch customers currently abroad to get back to the UK at the end of their holiday at no extra cost to them.

"We are putting together, at very short notice and for a period of two weeks, what is effectively one of the UK's largest airlines to manage this task.

"The scale and challenge of this operation means that some disruption is inevitable. We ask customers to bear with us as we work around the clock to bring everyone home.''

Customers affected by the company's collapse have been urged to check a dedicated website monarch.caa.co.uk for advice and information on flights back to the UK.

It also gives information to those passengers that have future bookings with Monarch but are yet to leave the UK

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