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Oct 7, 2005
The Consumer Protection Group of the Civil
Aviation Authority has completed the latest renewal of Air Travel Organizers’
Licenses (ATOLs). Only 106 travel firms that had applied were not granted new
licenses on time.
ATOLs are renewed in two batches each year,
in September and in March. The Autumn renewal is the larger of the two, with
just under 1,400 of the 2,400 current licenses due for renewal. The remainder
is in force until March 2006. At the September renewal deadline, 99 percent of
the firms that had provided supporting information had been given a decision,
and 93 percent of these had been granted new licenses.
CAA’s ATOL Licensing Manager Andy Cohen
said, “This was an excellent result as the overall number of ATOL holders has
grown significantly during the past year. Consequently, this renewal was 20
percent larger than a year ago. Although the number of firms failing to renew
by the deadline was slightly higher, this was anticipated given the number of
firms renewing for the first time.
Cohen pointed out that almost 75 percent of
the firms failing to renew on time fell into the Small Business ATOL category
for organizers who carry less than 500 passengers per year. Since ATOL often
represents a small portion of their overall business, or their tour operating
is seasonal, renewing on time is less crucial. “However, we expect the majority
of firms that failed to renew on time to do so in early October,” Cohen added.
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