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Thousands of passengers stranded after British airline shuts down

October 1st, 2017  |  Canadian Business

Britain’s fifth largest carrier, Monarch Airlines, halted flights and ceased operations Monday, disrupting more than 800,000 bookings and leaving over 100,000 travelers stranded. The shut down affects other companies including: Monarch Holidays Ltd., First Aviation Ltd., Avro Ltd., and Somewhere2stay Ltd.

British authorities have launched a large operation to bring the thousands of stranded travelers home. In response to this unprecedented situation, the Civil Aviation Authority stated that they would be sending 30 planes overseas to start retrieving stranded passengers.

"Some disruption is inevitable in these extraordinary circumstances," said the CAA on Twitter. "Please bear with us as we do our very best to help."

Monarch Airlines passengers received text messages Monday morning informing them that their flights has been cancelled, but many were already at the airports.

Among those affected by the shut down was Alan Jee, who was at the airport when he received the news. Jee, along with 30 other family members were on their way to Gran Canaria for his wedding.

"I have spent £12,000 on my wedding and now I can't even go and get married," Jee told BBC. "I am gutted, absolutely gutted, and my missus is in tears, an emotional wreck."

In addition to thousands of interrupted travel plans and stranded passengers, over 2000 employees will now be let go.