The UK Civil Aviation Authority confirms that of the 1,261 ATOL licences that expired on 30 September 2020, 995 have been renewed, with a further 90 still in the process (as of close of play on Thursday 1 October 2020). This means that, in total, there are now 1,732 ATOL holders overall. Travel businesses that were not due to renew their ATOL licence during this renewals period should apply in good time before the 31 March 2021 expiry date.
If a business decides not to renew their licence, this can be for a variety of reasons including making changes to their business model, which means they no longer need an ATOL licence to continue trading.
Michael Budge, Head of ATOL Licensing at the UK Civil Aviation Authority, said “We understand the huge pressure that travel businesses are under at this time and would like to thank them for positively engaging with us to meet the required conditions for their ATOL renewal.
“In the interest of protecting consumers, we continuously engage with and closely monitor ATOL holders throughout the period covered by their licence, requesting further information where necessary.”
| ATOL Licences as of 30 September 2018 | ATOL Licences as of 25 October 2019 | ATOL Licences as of 30 September 2020 |
| 1,296 | 1,283 | 1,261 |
| Did not apply 2018 | Did not apply 2019 | Did not apply 2020 |
| 117 | 51 | 176 |
| Granted 2018 | Granted 2019 | Granted 2020 |
| 1,072 | 1,182 | 995 |
|
Applied but not yet renewed 1 October 2018 |
Applied but not yet renewed 26 October 2019 |
Applied but not yet renewed 1 October 2020 |
| 107 | 50 | 90 |
The UK Civil Aviation Authority keeps its regulatory models under review, including how we manage the ATOL financial protection scheme.
In light of recent events, we are considering how we can work with the industry to improve financial resilience for the benefit of both consumers and travel businesses. As ever, we would consult stakeholders on any potential proposals.
For media enquiries contact Jake Woodley or Andrew McConnell at the ATOL Press Office on 0333 103 6000 or press.office@caa.co.uk.
You can also follow ATOL on Twitter @atolprotected.
Notes to editors
The Civil Aviation Authority regularly engages with ATOL holders throughout the period of their licence and the ATOL scheme requires ongoing engagement from ATOL holders, focusing on the financial position and general compliance of the companies we licence.
Please note that in the table featured, the deadline for the 2019 ATOL renewals period was extended to the 25 October 2019. This was following Thomas Cook ceasing to trade.
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