British airline Monarch has folded after 49 years flying – as we suggested they might here. They offered package tours (flight and hotel combined – protected under their organisers licence which just expired) and flight only options.

The government’s Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said:

“This is a hugely distressing situation for British holidaymakers abroad and my first priority is to help them get back to the UK.

“That is why I have immediately ordered the country’s biggest ever peacetime repatriation to fly about 110,000 passengers who could otherwise have been left stranded abroad.”

The CAA offered this advice to Monarch customers:

Customers in the UK yet to travel: don’t go to the airport.

Customers abroad: everyone due to fly in the next fortnight will be brought back to the UK at no cost to them. There is no need to cut short your stay.

Customers currently overseas should check monarch.caa.co.uk for confirmation of their new flight details – which will be available a minimum of 48 hours in advance of their original departure time.

All affected customers should keep checking monarch.caa.co.uk for more information

The CAA also has a 24-hour helpline: 0300 303 2800 from the UK and Ireland and +44 1753 330330 from overseas.

Monarch’s CEO, Andrew Swaffield wrote in a letter to his staff:

“The root cause is the closure, due to terrorism, of Sharm-El- Sheikh and Tunisia and the decimation of Turkey. Since 2015 we’ve seen yields collapse by a quarter, resulting in £160m less revenue. This has especially affected Spain and Portugal which is 80 per cent of our business.”

This is a sad end to a decent airline and our hearts go out to their staff and clients.