TOUR OPERATORS have reassured holidaymakers that they will not be stranded following the suspension of all flights by charter airline Futura Gael.
The Irish-based subsidiary of Futura International suspended operations at midnight on Sunday and did not say when, or if, it would resume operations.
A spokesman for Futura Gael said he could not say how many holidaymakers would be affected in the coming days and weeks but the inconvenience was regretted.
The Irish Travel Agents' Association (ITAA) advised holidaymakers not to panic and pointed out that they had booked their holidays with tour operators who would commission other aircraft to take them to their destinations.
Simon Nugent, chief executive of the ITAA, said passengers should turn up for their flights as normal, unless advised otherwise by tour operators.
He said that, since consumers had booked with licensed and bonded travel operators rather than directly with the airline Futura Gael, they would not be left "high and dry" as happened to some passengers who were due to fly with low-cost carrier Zoom which went into administration recently.
The Irish Tour Operators' Federation said its members were "urgently seeking alternative flight options for their customers". A spokesman said: "it is our members' intention to maintain flights as scheduled."
Falcon Holidays had planned to send three flights to Costa de Almeira in Spain with Futura Gael yesterday. The groups were due to leave from Cork, Shannon and Dublin.
Falcon Holidays bussed the Cork group of passengers to Shannon. It organised a carrier to take the group from Dublin, stopping off at Shannon to pick up the other two groups. It also organised an alternative aircraft to take a group of passengers from Spain to Dublin last night.
The Thomas Cook Group, which operates the Panorama, Sunworld and Direct Holidays brands in Ireland said it had planned to operate flights with Futura Gael this weekend to a number of destinations.
A spokeswoman said the group was sourcing alternative aircraft to ensure that customers currently on holiday could return as scheduled and customers due to fly over the coming weeks would "get the holiday they had planned".
She asked customers scheduled to fly this weekend and holding flight tickets with flight numbers FGL or FUA to contact their travel agent or Thomas Cook directly on (01) 5140450.
