Bluebird Holidays lost £30,000 last Thursday when it was forced to cease trading while waiting for its Air Travel Organiser’s Licence to be renewed.
The Canada specialist was one of over 110 operators on the Civil Aviation Authority’s list of firms that failed to renew their ATOL licence before the September 29 deadline.
Bluebird managing director Stephen Powell said: “Luckily the deadline fell in a quiet period – at the end of the summer and in mid-week – so it will only cost us about £30,000.”
Powell said a paperwork mix-up led to the delayed licence which was granted mid-afternoon on September 30.
n Lincolnshire-based tour operator Swain BA, which traded as Stamford Air-Link, has ceased trading.