100,000 travellers stranded after U.K. company folds

The collapse of a major U.K. tour operator Friday morning has left thousands of travellers stranded around the world.

XL Leisure Group, the third largest package holiday provider in the country, grounded its 21 planes at some of its 50 destinations and put 1,700 of its employees out of work.

Volatile fuel prices, an economic downturn and the company’s inability to secure more funding were listed on XL’s website as key reasons for the decision to place the company in administration.
XL’s woes come one month after Canada’s Zoom Airlines ceased operations and filed for insolvency, leaving several hundred customers stranded in airports in the U.K. and Canada.

At least 30 airlines worldwide have gone under in 2008.

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