More than 100 companies that applied for Atol renewals failed to receive their licence by the latest deadline of October 1, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has confirmed.
A total of 107 Atol holders who applied have not yet had their licences renewed – 63 of the unsuccessful applicants applied in the last week despite the CAA putting out a warning against late applications.
If companies do not have an Atol licence they cannot sell holidays with Atol protection or use the Atol logo. Bookings taken before the Atol expired are still covered under the scheme.
Michael Budge, a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority’s Atol scheme, said: “The Civil Aviation Authority confirms that of the 1,296 Atol licences that expired on September 30 2018, 1,072 have been granted.”
“A further 107 ATOL holders applied but have not yet been renewed, which is broadly in-line with the previous year. Despite warnings, 63 of these Atol holders applied in the last week of September.”
“We are pleased with the overall performance of the new Atol online system, which in many cases allowed us to achieve a turnaround of less than 48 hours – from receipt of the fully completed application to issuance of the offer letter.
“We thank all those involved with the recent renewal process and we will be seeking feedback from stakeholders in the coming weeks.”
| ATOL Licences as of 30 Sept 2017 | ATOL Licences as of 30 Sept 2018 |
|---|---|
| 1,334 | 1,296 |
| Did not apply 2017 | Did not apply 2018 |
| 49 | 117 |
| Granted 2017 | Granted 2018 |
| 1,173 | 1072 |
| Applied by not yet renewed – 1 October 2017 | Applied by not yet renewed – 1 October 2018 |
| 84 | 107 |