Monarch Airlines
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| Founded | 5 June 1967 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 5 April 1968 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | 2 October 2017 | ||||||
| AOC # | 365 | ||||||
| Operating bases | |||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Vantage Club | ||||||
| Fleet size | 35 (at closure) | ||||||
| Destinations | 43 (at closure) | ||||||
| Parent company | Monarch Airlines Holdings | ||||||
| Headquarters | Prospect House, Luton, England, United Kingdom | ||||||
| Key people | Andrew Swaffield (CEO) | ||||||
| Founders |
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| Employees | 2,300 (at closure) | ||||||
Monarch Airlines, simply known as Monarch, was a British charter and scheduled airline founded by Bill Hodgson and Don Peacock and financed by the Swiss Sergio Mantegazza family. The company later became a low-cost airline in 2004 before abandoning charter flying completely. The airline's headquarters were based at London–Luton, and it had operating bases at Birmingham, Leeds/Bradford, London–Gatwick and Manchester.
When Monarch entered administration in 2017, it was the biggest airline collapse in UK history up to that point, leaving nearly 100,000 passengers and holidaymakers stranded. However, on 23 September 2019, Thomas Cook also collapsed, leaving 150,000 people stranded, and went on to become the largest UK airline ever to collapse. The airline held a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Type A Operating Licence. This licence allowed Monarch to carry passengers, cargo, and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.