Questions are being raised about how the German airline Condor, part of the Thomas Cook group which has been put into administration, is able to keep flying while the UK airline was immediately grounded. The grounding has resulted in a huge and expensive repatriation effort coordinated by the CAA and using expensive wet-leasing aircraft from around the world. Meanwhile Condor flights continue to operate as normal.

Brian Strutton, BALPA General Secretary said:

“The main difference between the UK and German contexts is that the German government is considering Thomas Cook’s request for short-term state aid, while the UK government gave a firm ‘no’.

“Is that the reason that Thomas Cook found a way to keep the German airline operating, while the UK airline was grounded, thousands of staff members immediately lost their jobs and the UK tax-payer is having to foot a £600m bill for repatriation efforts?”