Q FM Africa's Modern Radio
The first of 155,000 British tourists are being flown back home after travel agent Thomas Cook collapsed on Monday.
The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is co-ordinating the repatriation, the biggest in peacetime, after the tour operator “ceased trading with immediate effect”.
Thomas Cook’s administration puts 22,000 jobs at risk worldwide, including 9,000 in the UK.
Boss Peter Fankhauser said the collapse was a “matter of profound regret”.
Thomas Cook, whose roots go back to 1841, went bust after last-ditch talks to raise fresh funding failed. The BBC understands the government was asked to fund a bailout of £250m, which was denied.
Some 16,000 holidaymakers were booked to come back on Monday, and authorities hope to get at least 14,000 of them home on chartered flights.
The CAA – an arms-length body set up by the Department for Transport (DfT) – has chartered 45 jets to bring customers home from locations including Central America and Turkey. It will fly 64 routes on Monday in an undertaking called Operation Matterhorn.
Operators including easyJet and Virgin have supplied some aircraft, with jets coming from as far afield as Malaysia.
All Thomas Cook holidays are now cancelled and customers will need to seek compensation via the government’s Atol scheme, or from their credit card or insurance companies.
Some passengers trying to get home have reported queues and disruption at airports, while others complain they have been left in the dark about what happens next.
Customers seeking information can visit the CAA’s special Thomas Cook website. Those scheduled to return to the UK within the next 48 hours or who are having problems with their accommodation or need special assistance can ring 0300 303 2800 in the UK or +44 1753 330 330 from abroad.