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

A ‘rescue flight’ was sent to take Thomas Cook passengers from the Malta International Airport to the London Gatwick airport on 23 September.

The MCCAA urges Thomas Cook travellers to check first whether they have received an Air Travel Organiser’s Licence (ATOL) certificate upon booking, as that document offers financial protection for insolvency. Holding such a certificate grants travellers the right to claim a refund for the unused travel services with the British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The MCCAA notes that starting from 30 September, Monday, the CAA will launch a service to manage all refunds within two months of receipt of fully completed claims forms, with further information on the process being announced on the official webpage of CAA in the coming days.

Travellers who do not hold an ATOL certificate are suggested to check their travel insurance policy to investigate further whether they are eligible for a refund. Consumers having paid by credit card are advised to check with their banks whether the payment can be reversed.

Consumers having booked through a travel agency or agent are recommended to contact their travel operator or agency and check for alternative travel arrangements.

Operating up until 6 October, a repatriation programme helps passengers stranded abroad to return to the United Kingdom. After the given date, passengers will be required to make their own travel arrangements.

Passengers stranded abroad with a return flight that is not UK-bound will have to make their own travel arrangements and then seek refund either through the ATOL protection scheme or through their insurance or bank, the MCCAA says.

To further assist stranded passengers, Air Malta launched a rescue fare to and from various destinations. Tickets are offered on an availability basis and are available only to Thomas Cook’s flight ticket holders or package holiday vouchers, the MCCAA reports.

The MCCAA is ready to assist troubled travellers further and can be contacted via email or by calling the +356 8007 4400 freephone number.

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“Due to this action Air Malta flights to Paris Charles de Gaulle and Orly, Lyon and Marseille scheduled during this time may be affected. More information will be communicated as we receive it,” Air Malta said in the press statement.

The announced strike by French air traffic controllers — part of a national protest by public servants against President Emmanuel Macron’s planned reform to working conditions — is thought to affect air travellers Europe-wide, according to a report by Euronews.

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Air Malta expects the Anypoint Platform to help the company in building an application network, which could enable the airline to quickly connect new technologies with existing legacy systems. Air Malta hopes to extend its digital presence and increase profitability by participating in the API economy, which enables business capabilities to be monetised using APIs.

MuleSoft Inc provides an integration platform to help businesses connect to data, applications and devices across on-premises and cloud computing environments. By using the Anypoint Platform, Air Malta expects to quickly acquire new technologies as well as to add new airline partners — such as Lufthansa and Ryanair — for growth, more seamlessly.

“Air Malta recently reported profitability for the first time after two decades, growing operating revenue by €5.3m to €197.5m in the last fiscal year. Technology investment had been a critical driver of this success, with MuleSoft at the centre,” said Alan Talbot, Chief Information Officer of Air Malta.

“With Anypoint Platform, we have created a sandbox for innovation across the organisation without affecting core operations. MuleSoft provides a unified platform that enables even non-technical personnel to quickly create integrations. By democratising access to data from legacy systems and across our enterprise, we are able to create new operational efficiencies and identify opportunities to better serve our customers,” the CIO added.

One of the biggest problems of the airline industry today is that the ageing IT infrastructure that can no longer be used in the modern digital world hampers growth and profitability, according to the recent Connectivity Benchmark Report. IT leaders say their legacy infrastructure makes it hard to introduce new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), big data and the internet of things (IoT). Therefore, airlines appear to be struggling to innovate, operate efficiently and offer personalised services.

However, MuleSoft insists that its hybrid integration platform offers solutions for modernisation by allowing to connect to the latest cloud technologies and differentiating the services offered. Their technology allows users to create flight planning solutions, to optimise route planning, to handle reservations faster and to sell flights from the website of other airlines.

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This summer schedule sees increased frequencies to/from Paris Charles De Gaulle, Hamburg, Kiev, London Heathrow, Lyon, Munich, Tunis, and after an absence of 12 years Air Malta is planning to resume flights to Egypt’s capital, Cairo. For the first time, the airline will also offer scheduled services to/from Warsaw.

Further to this, the airline is evaluating a peak holiday service to Ibiza and Tbilisi, the schedule for which might be released in the upcoming weeks.

“The planned increase in customers, routes and increased frequencies, highlight our efforts to better connect the Islands. This schedule signifies a strong commitment by Air Malta towards the local tourism industry and shows the support the Airline gives to the Islands’ economic growth,” said Clifford Chetcuti, Air Malta’s Chief Executive Captain.

“In line with our stated objective to improve customer experience, this summer we will welcome two more brand new Airbus A320NEOs to our fleet which will offer added comfort to our customers,” the chief added.

This summer Air Malta will be operating direct flights to Amsterdam, Birmingham, Berlin, Bristol, Brussels, Bucharest, Cagliari, Catania, Casablanca, Cairo, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hamburg, Ibiza, Lisbon, Leipzig, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London Southend, Lourdes / Tarbes, Lyon, Kiev, Malaga, Manchester, Marseille, Munich, Milan, Moscow, Palermo, Paris Charles De Gaulle, Paris Orly, Prague, Rome, St Petersburg, Tel Aviv, Tbilisi, Tunis, Venice, Vienna, Warsaw and Zurich.

Apart from the scheduled services, in cooperation with local travel agents, Air Malta is operating an interesting series of charter operations this summer to Ljubljana, Dubrovnik and Krakow.

The airline will continue code-share agreements with airBaltic, Air France, Air Italy, Alitalia, Aeroflot, Austrian Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, KLM, Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines, Czech Airlines, Swiss Airlines and Turkish Airlines. These agreements expand Air Malta’s network to other markets worldwide.

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Before the flight, students received brief talks on the formalities of the airport by both Air Malta and Malta International Airport personnel. After this, students visited the airline’s engineering hangar to see Air Malta’s latest Airbus A320neo aircraft sporting Nickelodeon livery. One of the airline’s engineers explained some technical features of the aircraft during the visit.

The school organised the event together with Air Malta’s Captain Mark Micallef and the airline’s charter flights section. “It was made possible with the assistance given by the teachers and guardians of St Monica School who also accompanied the children, Malta International Airport including its Fire and Rescue Section and the Malta Air Traffic Services Ltd,” Air Malta says.

Every year many local schools take the opportunity to organise similar educational flights on Air Malta for their students, the press statement adds.

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“As no A320neo has ever operated into Florence, the team, together with the operating crew, had to conduct calculations and assessments to seek approval from the Florence Airport Authority prior to being able to fly and operate into this airport,” the press statement says.

The Fiorentina team visited Malta and attended a triangular tournament with Maltese Premier League sides Hibernians and Gżira United. The club also engaged in intensive training at the Malta Football Association’s Training Grounds in Ta’ Qali.

“Various international football clubs are increasingly choosing Malta for their mid-season training camps since the islands offer great training facilities, local support, ancillary services, flight connections and a temperate climate,” the press statement adds.

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