The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced that after the first week of its repatriation operation to bring home XL customers, 199 flights have been organised which will have carried 46,765 passengers back to the UK by 18:00 on Friday from a total of 40 destinations. These passengers include those booked with XL tour operators, XL Airways and other tour operators that shared XL Airways flights.

Planning for the second week of the repatriation operation is well advanced for the 38,000 remaining holidaymakers who are abroad and due to finish holidays next week.

Underlining the scale of this unprecedented operation, the CAA also said that over the past seven days its helpline had received over 84,000 calls from customers, of whom 57,000 learned what they needed to from recordings and 27,000 spoke to helpline agents. In addition the ATOL website received over 148,000 individual viewers over the seven day period.

In the meantime, the CAA continues to work closely with Thomas Cook, Thomson, First Choice and Virgin Holidays to ensure ATOL-protected holidaymakers can complete their holidays with no extra costs and travel home at the end of their stay. The CAA, which manages the ATOL scheme, told XL holidaymakers they should not need to pay hotel bills at the end of their stays.

Richard Jackson, CAA Director of Consumer Protection, said: “I want to take this opportunity to thank the industry, particularly the tour operators’ overseas representatives, with whom we have worked, for all their extensive efforts on the ground over the course of the past week. Their important contribution has greatly helped the smooth repatriation for the vast majority of XL holidaymakers and allowed many others to complete their holidays.

The flights currently organised by the CAA are from Alicante, Malaga (Spain); Palma (Majorca); Athens, Chania, Corfu, Heraklion, Kalamata, Kavala, Kefalonia, Kos, Lesbos, Mykonos, Preveza, Rhodes, Samos, Santorini, Skiathos, Zante (Greece); Bodrum, Dalaman (Turkey); Cagliari (Sardinia); Faro (Portugal); Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt); Bridgetown (Barbados); Antigua, Grenada, St Kitts, St Lucia, Tobago (Caribbean); Larnaca, Paphos (Cyprus); Orlando, Sanford (Florida); Arrecife (Lanzarote); Fuerteventura, Las Palmas, Tenerife (Canaries); Mahon (Minorca).

Arrival airports in the UK are Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, East Midlands, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle.