Thomas Cook Airlines (MT/TCX) | Years Active: 1986 - 2019 (Founded as Trans-European Airlines) | Fleet Size At Time Of Closure: 34 | Destinations: 82 | Operating Bases: Belfast International (BFS), Bristol (BRS), Cardiff (CWL), East Midlands (EMA), Glasgow (GLA), London Gatwick (LGW), London Stansted (STN), Manchester (MAN) & Newcastle (NCL) | Reason For Closure: Compulsory Liquidation. Over the years airlines including Airtours/ My Travel, Caledonian, Flying Colours and JMC evolved/ merged into the company that at the time of it’s closure was the fifth largest airline in the UK, operating a network of scheduled and charter flights from its 9 bases. Thomas Cook itself was one of the most well known brands in the UK, with a 178 year history dating back to 1841 when a cabinet maker called Thomas Cook began offering 1-day rail excursions from his home town of Leicester. Following the airline’s collapse, Operation Matterhorn was the largest peacetime repatriation effort ever seen, carrying over 140,000 passengers on 746 separate flights in a 2 week period. The operation itself had been in planning for over 10 months, with the UK Civil Aviation Authority having contracts in place with various carriers well in advance of the company’s sad demise. #ThomasCook #TCX #Airbus #A330 #AirbusLovers #MAN #ManchesterAirport #EGCC #29Aviation #Aviation #AvGeek #Plane #Pilot #PlanePorn #MegaPlane #InstaPlane #InstagramAviation #AviationPhotography #PlaneSpotting #Aviation4U #Airline #Aircraft #LGW #STN #BFS #BRS #GLA #MyTravel #Caledonian (at Manchester Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAS63nkn-ko/?igshid=h7ze837hkg4x
