Low-cost UK airline collapsed and left 100,000 passengers stranded

Low-cost UK airline collapsed and left 100,000 passengers strandedThe airline's first commercial flight took off in April 1968 between Luton and Madrid. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments By Kris Boratyn, Audience Writer 09:06, Sun, May 31, 2026 Updated: 09:07, Sun, May 31, 2026 A low-cost UK airline collapsed overnight and left more than 100,000 passengers stranded (Image: Getty)A low-cost UK airline collapsed overnight and left more than 100,000 passengers stranded overseas. Monarch Airlines ceased trading in the early hours of October 2, 2017, after entering administration. At the time, it was the biggest airline collapse in UK history and affected hundreds of thousands of travellers. window.scriptsToLoad.push({url:'https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=118222&vp_content=plembed3a6btjknzwqh&cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&playerApiId=v118222',triggeredBy:'tcfLoaded',delay:1500,containerId:'ovp-primis',title:"Primis player",beforeLoad:()=>{window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v118222"){if(window.document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}})},}) Around 110,000 passengers were abroad when Monarch stopped operating, while a further 300,000 future bookings were cancelled. The collapse prompted a huge rescue effort to bring holidaymakers back to Britain, with the Civil Aviation Authority organising a repatriation programme following the airline's closure. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Get travel news and expert holiday advice plus selected offers and competitions Subscribe Invalid emailWe use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy READ MORE: Ryanair cuts flights at 19 a...