TWO EUROPEAN AIRLINES CEASE OPERATIONS IN SEPTEMBER
October 1, 2019
On September 23, 2019, Thomas Cook Group, a high-profile and historic travel company in the United Kingdom which owned and operated a number of entities including Thomas Cook Airlines, entered insolvency and ceased operations. The sudden collapse stranded over 150,000 travelers around the world.
To assist these travelers, the U.K.’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) launched an emergency repatriation effort for passengers stranded outside the U.K., which is scheduled to continue until October 6, 2019. Travelers stranded inside the U.K., in contrast, are not eligible for emergency travel assistance. The CAA describes its program, code-named “Operation Matterhorn,” as “hugely complex” and involving the chartering of replacement flights and rebooking of passengers with other airlines. The operation reportedly involves operations by approximately 45 wet-leased aircraft conducting up to 1,000 flight segments, and is expected to cost the U.K. government hundreds of millions of British pounds. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) also requested that member airlines voluntarily provide rescue fares where capacity permitted to facilitate the return of stranded passengers.
On September 19, 2019, French airline XL Airways filed for restructuring, ultimately announcing a total cessation of service on September 30, 2019. Although the situation is still developing, France’s Directorate General for Civil Aviation has requested that IATA members voluntarily provide rescue fares on routes to the U.S., Mexico, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic.
If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr (esahr@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6622); Drew Derco (dderco@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6665), or Alexander Matthews (amatthews@eckertseamans.com or 202-659-6633).
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