The British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced collapse of British tour operator Thomas Cook on September 23.

Media reports say British tour operator Thomas Cook has ceased trading and all of its hundreds of thousands of bookings were canceled after the firm failed to secure rescue funding.

According to CBS News, more than 600,000 vacationers had booked through the company.

The CAA said the cancellations left about 150,000 British customers abroad and in need of repatriation.  They will be brought home “as close as possible” to their booked return date, according to a statement.

The statement, in particular, says, “The Government and the Civil Aviation Authority are now working together to do everything they can “to support passengers due to fly back to the UK with Thomas Cook between September 23, 2019 and October 6, 2019.” 

"Rescue" flights, run by a number of other airlines and chartered by the CAA at British tax payers' expense, were to begin operating Monday to get Britons back home.  The government's emergency operation — code named Operation Matterhorn — will aim to bring home Britons currently on holiday with the firm, according to BBC News, which said the first wave of repatriations would be for about 16,000 people who were scheduled to fly with Thomas Cook back to the U.K. on Monday.