Final Thomas Cook repatriation flight arrives into Manchester as refund programme starts
150,000 passengers have been brought back to the UK over the last two weeks.
The Civil Aviation Authority has now completed a massive operation to repatriate tens of thousands of Thomas Cook holidaymakers after the travel firm went bust.
Known as 'Operation Matterhorn', it was the biggest peacetime repatriation in British history.
The two-week flying programme involved the use of 150 aircraft from 50 partners and came to a close with a flight from Orlando to Manchester this morning.
The CAA has today also launched its online refund claims form for customers affected by the liquidation of Thomas Cook.
This will be used to refund more than 360,000 bookings for Thomas Cook ATOL protected holidays, covering trips that would have been taken by 800,000 people.
ATOL protected customers who were abroad can also claim for the cost of replacing the ATOL protected parts of their trip, or out of pocket expenses as a result of delayed flights.
Refunds should usually be completed within 60 days of receiving a valid completed claim form.
In addition, over 24,000 direct debit repayments are already in process, with all automatic direct debit refunds on track to be returned to customers from Monday, 14th October.
Richard Moriarty, Chief Executive at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: "The largest peacetime repatriation ever required an extraordinary effort from all involved. I want to thank everyone who has played their part in delivering this enormous undertaking, including the passengers we flew home for bearing with us as we undertook this complex operation.
"I also want to pay tribute to the many amazing former Thomas Cook employees who worked with us to make this operation a success. It needed an unprecedented team effort from our commercial partners, our friends across government and my colleagues at the CAA.
"We know that customers are devastated by the cancellation of their holidays. Those who bought a Thomas Cook ATOL protected holiday are entitled to a full refund of all the money they have paid towards the cost of their holiday. In addition to this, ATOL protected passengers that were abroad when the company went into liquidation might be able to claim for out of pocket expenses."
The sheer number of refunds means this will be the largest ever ATOL reimbursement programme.
Thomas Cook customers are reminded to check the dedicated website for further information .