‘Rescue flight’ to pick up Thomas Cook pax in Malta

A ‘rescue flight’ is expected to take Thomas Cook passengers from Malta to the London Gatwick airport this evening, according to information the Malta International Airport (MLA) has given to Business Malta. The 178-year-old UK holiday firm collapsed after failed negotiations, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded at airports in uncertainty, news reports suggest.

EDITORIAL UPDATE: According to data posted by Flightradar24, the ZT1187 flight was completed on 23 September landing in London Gatwick at 19:42 (local time).

“From the information we have so far, we know that a rescue flight will be operated this afternoon instead of the original flight scheduled to depart our airport at 17:15,” an MLA spokesperson told Business Malta about the flight scheduled for today, 23 September.

Information posted by Thomas Cook on its official website confirms that the original flight of MT1187 from Malta to London Gatwick scheduled to depart at 17:15 (local time) and arrive at 19:35 (local time) is being replaced by flight ZT1187, flying with the exact same parameters.

The official website of Thomas Cook says that “Thomas Cook UK Plc and associated UK entities have entered compulsory liquidation and are now under the control of the official receiver. The UK business has ceased trading with immediate effect and all future flights and holidays are cancelled.”

Nevertheless, the company says that “dedicated support service is being provided by The Civil Aviation Authority to assist customers currently overseas and those in the United Kingdom with future bookings.”

After last-minute negotiations aimed at saving the 178-year-old holiday firm failed, Thomas Cook was reported to have collapsed, according to BBC. Beyond UK customers, hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers from other countries are affected by the collapse, the Guardian reports.