Britons stranded abroad as travel company collapses
Darshna Soni
Communities Editor
The failure of essex-based travel company Skyjet is the latest twist in a saga that has seen air passengers forced to pay in cash to pay for the last leg of their journey home.
On Wednesday Channel 4 News spoke to passengers who had been forced to hand over a total of £20,000 to fund the final leg of their trip from Amritsar in India to Birmingham. They were travelling with an airline called Comtel Air.
On Thursday the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confirmed that the Essex-based travel company Skyjet, which sold flights on Comtel Air from Amritsar to Birmingham had ceased trading. But the CAA said it would ensure that around 200 people currently overseas with Skyjet would get back home.
Passengers who booked Comtel flights as part of a package will be protected by the guarantees of the Air Travel Organisers’ Licencsing scheme (ATOL) which is run by the CAA. Those affected were advised to check the ATOL website for details of how and when the might expect to return to the UK. However the CAA stressed that those who had booked flight-only deals may not be covered by this scheme.
At least four Comtel Air flights due to fly from Birmingham to Amritsar or back, this weekend have now been cancelled. The CAA advised customers not to go to the airport.
A spokesman for Birmingham Airport said that several hundred passengers have travelled with Comtel Air since it began operating from Birmingham to Amritsar in October. She added: “clearly, we are very concerned about this situation and understand the distress taht this is causing those passengers directly involved and their loved ones.”
The Foreign Office said that as well as contacting their tour operator, those affected should monitor the Foreign Office travel advice for India for any updates.
