Aircraft leasing companies are launching moves to recover dozens of Airbus passenger planes after the collapse of British travel group Thomas Cook, market sources said.
The overall group operates a fleet of 85 Airbus planes and 31 Boeing jets, or a total of 116 aircraft based across Europe, according to data from UK-based aviation consultancy IBA.
All except five are leased from a total of 38 leasing companies or investment vehicles led by top names in aviation finance.
The fleet includes 63 Airbus aircraft that are potentially directly affected by the collapse. They are operated by three 100% Thomas Cook subsidiaries in the UK, Scandinavia and Spain.
A fourth airline, Frankfurt-based Condor, in which Thomas Cook owns fractionally less than 50%, says it will keep flying.
Condor’s fleet includes an Airbus A330 that doubles as a reserve aerial refuelling tanker for the Royal Air Force, leased with a crew from UK consortium Air Tanker, according to IBA.