Tour operator Balkan Holidays has today (April 24) announced that its UK business, Balkan Holidays Limited, is to close with immediate effect. The company, which has been operating in the UK since 1966, has assured customers currently on holiday that they will not be affected, and says that all forward bookings are to be fully refunded.
Balkan Holidays had recently put on sale its summer 2026 programme, with departures from 17 UK airports including London Southend, to which it had begun services in 2024. The tour operator, whose overseas businesses and in-house airline BH Air will continue trading, had been integral to a number of regional airports across the country, despite having axed its Bristol route after summer 2023 as a result of increased competition.
The company’s UK Managing Director, Alexander Stoyanov, said that: “It is really sad that the company should cease trading in the UK after all these years. The company is solvent, but it has become increasingly difficult to be competitive and profitable in the UK.
“Nobody will be left out of pocket and all suppliers will be paid and I thank them sincerely for their support over the years. I am really sorry to disappoint our loyal customers and the fantastic travel agents, who have booked holidays with us for this summer and beyond and have given us so much business over the years; all customers will be refunded in full.
“Based in London is a fantastic, dedicated team of travel professionals, some I have personally worked with since I joined the company 26 years ago and unfortunately redundancies are unavoidable. We were hoping to celebrate 60 years in business next year, but it is not meant to be.”
Cianan Kelly is an aviation writer and, most importantly, enthusiast, with a passion for regional aviation and the essential connectivity it can create. He joined Fresh Aviation in late 2022 with the aim of contributing to high-quality aviation journalism and research.