British passengers left stranded as UK operator goes bust

PA

Hundreds of people have been left stranded abroad after the collapse of British tour operator and travel agency Skyjet, which sold flights on the troubled airline Comtel.

The Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed that an estimated 200 passengers are still stuck in India having purchased tickets to Birmingham from Skyjet, which ceased trading on Thursday.

The Essex-based company, also known as Astonbury Ltd, sold flights between Amristar in India and Birmingham on the Austrian airline Comtel.

Earlier this week, a Comtel Air flight from Amristar to Birmingham was grounded in Vienna after running into financial problems mid-flight.

Passengers said they were 'held to ransom' and asked to have a whipround to the tune of £23,000 in order to get home.

Comtel's majority shareholder Bhupinda Kandra claims that money paid to travel agents had not been passed onto the airline.

The CAA said it would be making arrangements to assist repatriation for all Skyjet customers under its Atol protection scheme.

However, it said that travellers who booked flight-only deals would not automatically be covered.

All future Skyjet bookings are now cancelled and customers are being advised not to go to the airport. The CAA is advising Skyjet passengers to call 0207 453 6350 or 0207 379 7311.

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