EasyJet holidays and Tui boost Atols in latest renewals

EasyJet holidays has increased its Atol licence by 400,000 and Tui has added 90,000 to its licence in the September renewals, but Jet2holidays left its licence unchanged.

 

A total of 1,612 businesses in the travel sector are currently licensed under the Atol scheme, according to new figures released by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

 

The top three Atol holders remain unchanged, with Jet2holidays in first place with a licence to carry just over seven million passengers (7,043,718) and Tui second with a licence for just under six million (5,942,801).

 

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Online travel agent (OTA) Loveholidays is in third place on just over five million (5,011,286), having increased its licence by more than one million in March.

 

EasyJet holidays remains in fourth place but with an Atol for 3,455,570, and OTA On the Beach remains fifth on 2,360,597.

 

British Airways Holidays is now the sixth-largest Atol holder despite leaving its licence unchanged on 1,178,956, having moved above Booking.com after the latter reduced its Atol by 157,000 to 1,114,151 leaving it in seventh place.

 

The figures are the maximum number of package holiday customers companies are licensed to carry in the next 12 months, but licence holders may increase or reduce the numbers with the agreement of the CAA.

 

About 60% of Atols come up for renewal in September, with the remainder in March.

 

The CAA confirmed 934 of the 1,035 Atol licences that expired on September 30 have been renewed, with a further 45 still in the application process or yet to meet licence conditions. Fifty-six holders did not apply for renewal.

 

The number of Atol holders stood at 1,616 following the March renewals.

 

Michael Budge, head of Atol at the UK CAA, said: “The continued growth in Atol-protected holidays shows that travel remains a key priority for UK consumers. It also reinforces the value people place on financial protection and peace of mind when booking their trips.

 

“Atol plays a vital role in safeguarding travellers, and we encourage businesses to engage early with the renewal process to ensure they can continue offering protected holidays without disruption. Businesses that fail to allow reasonable time to apply by the deadline risk being unable to take Atol-protected bookings.”