Monarch Airlines In Administration, Flights Cancelled

UK leisure carrier Monarch Airlines entered administration on Monday, causing the cancellation of all flights and future holidays, with around 110,000 of its customers currently abroad.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority is making arrangements for Monarch customers to get back to the UK at the end of their holiday, but passengers due to depart on a Monarch flight over the next few days have been told not travel to the airport as none of the airline’s flights are operating.

The CAA has arranged for a number of airlines to provide aircraft to fly Monarch passengers home over the next few days, and advised ticketed passengers to arrive early for flights as there will be no online check-in.

KPMG Partner Blair Nimmo, appointed Joint Administrator, said mounting cost pressures and increasingly competitive market conditions contributed to the Monarch Group experiencing a sustained period of trading losses. Management appointed KPMG as administrators in the early hours of Monday morning.

“Our primary focus for the next 48 hours is to work with the Civil Aviation Authority to provide the infrastructure and information needed to help the Government and CAA with the safe repatriation of approximately all the 110,000 customers who are currently overseas and due to travel back to the UK within the next two weeks,” Nimmo said.

Monarch is based at London’s Luton Airport and employed about 2,100 people at the airline and associated travel companies. As of Monday afternoon 1,858 staff had been made redundant, split between 1,760 at Monarch Airlines and 98 at Monarch Travel Group. The remainder have been retained by KPMG to assist them in the administration process.