Atol capacity reaches record high Ian Taylor
Atol capacity for the next 12 months has hit a new record following the September renewals, with easyJet holidays adding 400,000 to its licence and Tui adding 90,000 to take total numbers above the 34.2 million licensed a year ago. The numbers are up despite
Jet2holidays leaving its Atol unchanged on just over seven million. Of the major companies, only
Booking.com made a significant cut in capacity, reducing its licence by 157,000 to 1.11 million. The figures reflect continuing
strong demand and come alongside a signal that Atol reform may be off the agenda with news that
CAA head of Atol Michael Budge, who has led the reform process since 2021, is to join Abta. The association announced last
week that Budge will become its finance director from December. Abta chief Mark Tanzer noted
Budge is already “well known in the sector and has a compelling record in travel finance”. Tui remains the second-largest
Atol holder on just under six million; We Love Holidays is third on just over five million; easyJet holidays fourth with almost 3.46 million; and On the Beach fifth with 2.36 million. BA Holidays now holds the
sixth-largest Atol despite leaving its licence unchanged at almost 1.18 million having moved above
The new atol top 10 Licensed capacity
1 Jet2holidays 2 Tui UK
3 We Love Holidays 4 EasyJet holidays 5 On the Beach
6 British Airways Holidays 7
Booking.com
8 BravoNext (
lastminute.com) 732k 9 Marella Cruises 10 Expedia Group
7.04 million 5.94m 5.01m 3.46m 2.36m 1.18m 1.11m
424k 422k
Figures rounded Source: CAA
Booking.com after it cut its Atol. The figures represent the
maximum number of package customers companies are licensed to carry in the next 12 months. The CAA reported 934 Atol holders renewed licences in
September – up from 919 a year ago – out of 1,035 up for renewal. Total Atol holder numbers now
stand at 1,612, excluding 45 which applied but have not yet renewed, compared with 1,616 licensed in March. The CAA reported 56 licence holders did not apply to renew, down from 75 in September 2024. About 60% of Atols come
up for renewal in September and the remainder in March. The CAA noted 20 million
travellers had taken an Atol-protected holiday in the year to the end of August, almost 1.1 million up on last year. Budge said: “The continued
growth shows travel remains a priority for UK consumers [and] the value people place on financial protection.”
Tanzer: Travel is a staple in people’s lives
Robin Murray Travel Convention, Calvià, Majorca
The travel industry has reason for optimism despite the “maelstrom we’re living in”, Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer insisted at the opening of The Travel Convention in Majorca on Tuesday. Tanzer acknowledged “we’re
in a time of huge disruption” amid “huge technological change and huge political change” and said the industry faces “some challenges”. But he said: “Travel is a staple in people’s lives.”
4 9 OCTOBER 2025 Describing the UK economy as
“anaemic”, he noted: “The economy is important to everything we do. So it’s really important it gets moving again.” Tanzer added: “We’re very aware
of climate change. It’s evident in its impact on destinations and the increasing frequency of natural events. If places get too hot, where are we going to put tourists?” But he said: “We also have to be
able to make the case that what we’re doing is climate-friendly, that we’re reducing our carbon impact not just in aviation but in destinations.”
Tanzer highlighted cyberattacks
as “a big problem”. Noting “transport is very susceptible”, he said: “We need to prepare for if there is a major cyber outage.” He also argued the industry “can’t
escape” the issue of overtourism, with protests continuing around Europe and Abta research showing “people in the UK are aware of it” although “they’re not changing where they go”. However, Tanzer insisted there
are “reasons to be cheerful” – the theme of the convention – noting the same research confirmed overseas
Mark Tanzer
travel remains “essential” to UK consumers, with “underlying demand still very strong”. He suggested “the fact that this
government gets tourism” is a reason for cheer, as is “a thawing of relations” with Europe, and he argued: “Great businesses are born out of disruptive times. We’ve seen that in our industry. Some ‘great oaks’ have disappeared, but others have taken their place.” Tanzer also outlined “a new model
of tourism that embraces the people in a destination as well as the people coming to it”.
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURE: Steve Pearcy
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