Countries scramble after Thomas Cook collapse strands travellers

SUMMARY

The collapse of British travel operator Thomas Cook has left hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers abroad and forced governments and insurers to coordinate a huge operation to get them home.

By CNBC-TV18Sept 27, 2019 2:07:09 PM IST (Updated)

India: Thomas Cook India said it had been unaffected as it has been a separate entity since August 2012. However, the clarification came at a time when Thomas Cook (India) shares fell by over 11 percent on the NSE during the intra-day trading. The company’s earnings remained robust in the June quarter this year. Consolidated net sales surged 70 percent to Rs 2,317.55 crore as against Rs 1,363.28 crore in March 2018. Consolidated net profits grew 68.57 percent QoQ to Rs 22.79 crore.

Spain: Spain's airport operator AENA says that 46 flights have been affected by the collapse of the British tour company Thomas Cook, mostly in the Spanish Balearic and Canary archipelagos. Between 25,000 and 30,000 tourists are affected in the Canary Islands, according to official sources. (AP Photo/Francisco Ubilla)

United Kingdom: The UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the government have a fleet of planes ready to start bringing home more than 150,000 British travellers in a process expected to take two weeks.

Germany: Thomas Cook holiday airline Condor says it will continue its flight operation despite its parent company's insolvency. "Condor... is continuing operations," the German airline said in a statement. Thomas Cook says there are roughly 140,000 holidaymakers currently travelling with its German units.

France: French organization Entreprises de Voyage said that about 10,000 French tourists could be affected by the bankruptcy of Thomas Cook.

Ving in Sweden said it had some 16,956 Swedish passengers travelling. "We are now working intensely to ensure that all affected travellers are flown home with as little disruption as possible," the company said on its website.

Greece: A Greek tourism ministry official told Reuters that about 50,000 tourists were stranded. "The top priority now is to get them back home," the official said, declining to be identified.

The Netherlands: Thomas Cook's Netherlands unit said all flights on September 24 will be cancelled, affecting around 1,000 passengers, and that information about future dates would be announced.

Russia: Thomas Cook's Russian tour operator subsidiary, Intourist, said the bankruptcy of Thomas Cook will have no impact on clients, executive director Sergei Tolchin told Interfax.

Egypt: Thomas Cook operator Blue Sky Group said that 25,000 reservations in Egypt booked up to April 2020 had been cancelled. Blue Sky currently has 1,600 tourists in Egypt's Hugharda resort.