The repatriation of travellers left stranded abroad by Thomas Cook’s demise will continue in the coming days, but at a gradually slower rate, since most of the vacationers have returned home.
“By Sunday, as scheduled, we shall have brought over 95% of the holidaymakers back to Belgium,” the Travel Guarantee Fund stated on Wednesday.
At the start of the operation, over 1,000 Thomas Cook travellers were repatriated to Belgium per day, with a record number of over 2,800 coming back on over 25 flights on Saturday last.
The rate has since diminished. On Wednesday, 315 holidaymakers came back to Belgium, 130 returned on Thursday and fewer than 100 on Friday, according to the Travel Guarantee Fund.
A flight by TUI airline is among the seven scheduled for Thursday to bring back stranded travellers. The plane, which will depart from Antalya, Turkey, still has 29 seats available.
The other flights to Belgium on Thursday and Friday are operated mainly by Brussels Airlines.
Over 13,000 Belgian tourists were stranded abroad when Thomas Cook was declared bankrupt on 23 September.
The Brussels Times
