Wildlife specialist Bird Holidays has ceased trading, the Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed.
The Leeds-based firm stopped operations on August 10, the CAA said. It had been in business for 30 years.
The authority is now collating information from the company and will update customers “as soon as possible”.
Bird Holidays’ director Paul Willoughby wrote a message to customers on the operator’s website.
It said: “It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing that Bird Holidays has stopped trading.
“Since the pandemic was declared in March 2020 it has been impossible for us to safely operate a single tour and it has been heartbreaking to watch a thriving business, popular with customers and guides alike, deteriorate to the extent that it has.
“All our autumn trips are cancelled and with winter destinations such as Madagascar, Ethiopia and Indonesia still looking unlikely, the earliest we could operate would be spring 2022.
“In such circumstances I feel it is no longer wise to carry on. If you are currently booked on a trip you should receive a letter in the post in the next day or two.”
Willoughby added: “From humble beginnings Bird Holidays grew into something to be very proud of and I take heart in the huge amounts of positive feedback we received over the years.
“I am so grateful to everyone who put their trust in me and the other leaders to deliver some truly memorable holidays.
“There are too many highlights to recall, but for me the sight of the Brown Fish Owls in southern Turkey, a population thought to be extinct, will live long in the memory, icing on the cake of a trip that featured White-throated Robins, Finsch’s Wheatears, Cretzschmar’s Buntings, Kruper’s Nuthatches and Ruppell’s Warblers amongst others.”
He said the operator’s photo gallery will remain live on its website “for a little while longer”.
Willoughby thanked Andy Woodall, Roger Barnes, Phil Palmer, John McLoughlin and Lance Degnan for helping to “make the business what it was”. He said they are “not only outstanding leaders, but also great work mates”.
“Each of them brought so much to the business, and a perfect example of where the sum is greater than the parts,” said Willoughby.
He added: “It has often been said that we are living through a golden age of foreign birding, where habitats are still intact, birds plentiful, and travel more affordable and comfortable than ever. That era has now come to an end for Bird Holidays, but hopefully the industry will restart as life returns to normal.
“It has been a fantastic 30 years for me, full of excitement and wonder at the natural world, and so on behalf of myself and all the other leaders, thank you to all our lovely customers for making it possible.”
The CAA warned affected customers not to use claim forms from other failures, which will not be accepted.