Almost 12,000 people abroad caught up in the collapse of Monarch were flown home on 61 flights yesterday as part of the aviation regulator’s repatriation operation.
The Civil Aviation Authority plans to operate 58 flights today, bringing more than 11,000 people back to the UK.
This will leave about 98,000 passengers still to fly home over the next 13 days. The CAA used 34 chartered aircraft in yesterday’s operation from 24 destinations.
It received more than 13,000 call to a dedicated call centre and more than three million page views and over 700,000 unique visits to a website set up at www.monarch.caa.co.uk
The CAA said it was working around the clock, in conjunction with the government, to deliver the replacement flying programme following Monarch falling into administration in the early hours of Monday morning.
Chief executive Andrew Haines said: “Our flying programme commenced early yesterday morning and we brought 11,843 people back in the first day.
“We expect to bring a further 11,647 back to the UK today.
“We recognise that this will be a concerning time for many customers and we really appreciate their support.
“I want to thank all those involved in organising this mammoth operation which has got off to a good start and to reaffirm our commitment to those passengers still abroad that we will get them back to the UK in the days ahead.
“Our website has been updated with the latest information and our call centre has now taken in excess of 13,000 calls.
“Given the unprecedented scale of this task some disruption is inevitable. We thank everyone involved for their patience.”