Thomas Cook resumes UK flights to Tunisia

Tour operator Thomas Cook has resumed flights to Tunisia for UK customers for the first time since the 2015 beach attack in which 38 people, including 30 Britons, were killed.

Weekly services to Enfidha – from Birmingham, Manchester and London Gatwick – began this week after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) eased its travel advice, and a Glasgow service will also be introduced in April.

By May, there will be six flights each week, as London Stansted and Newcastle join the list of departure airports.

The FCO had advised against all but essential visits following the June 2015 attack, but this guidance was withdrawn for the majority of the North African country last year.

Thomas Cook resumed holiday sales to UK customers last August, with the first new flight taking off from Birmingham on 13 February 2018.

Increased security

Security has been increased at hotels and resorts in Tunisia, which attracted 440,000 UK visitors in 2014.

Chris Mottershead, managing director of Thomas Cook UK, said: “Tunisia has been a popular tourist destination for decades and with our first three flights sold out, there is an appetite from our customers.

“Its soft, long beaches, year-round sun, historic ruins and tasty local food mean it attracts lots of loyal visitors, as well as those visiting for the first time. Tunisia is once again proving to be a popular choice for a value for money holiday.”

Thomas Cook had continued to fly German, French and Belgian holidaymakers to Tunisia, as their governments did not recommend that citizens not visit the country.