CAA unveils new ATOL holder figures

News comes following the completion of its September 2023 ATOL licence renewal process

New figures released by the UK Civil Aviation Authority revealed a total of 1,607 businesses in the travel sector are currently licensed under the ATOL scheme.

The regulator, which oversees the financial protection scheme for package holidays, has published the figures following its completion of the September 2023 ATOL licence renewal process.

Of the 1,046 ATOL licences that expired on 30 September 2023, 958 have been renewed, with a further 26 still in the application process or yet to meet licence conditions.

Jet2, TUI, We Love Holidays, Booking.com and easyJet Holidays make up the current top five licence holders.

The latest top 10 ATOL holders report is available on the UK Civil Aviation Authority website.

Michael Budge, head of ATOL at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said: “It has been widely reported that travel bookings have picked up throughout 2023 and we anticipate the market getting back to pre-pandemic levels, despite the current cost-of-living crisis.

“Our licence holders seem to be confident that bookings will remain buoyant into 2024. Holidays can be one of the biggest purchases people make, so it remains vital consumers check their package holiday is booked through an ATOL licensed tour operator.”

The UK Civil Aviation Authority also announced that travel businesses should apply to renew their ATOL well in advance of the deadline because of the time required to analyse and process applications, and for the applicant to put any required conditions in place.

Businesses that fail to allow reasonable time to apply by the deadline risk being unable to take ATOL protected bookings.