note

The airline began operations in the summer of 1996 with a fleet of Boeing 757-200 & Airbus A320 aircraft. Flying Colours had several operational bases outside of its Manchester Airport headquarters, including London Gatwick Airport and Glasgow International Airport. The airline quickly established a positive reputation in the charter industry, with a fleet of newly-built aircraft and new features; Flying Colours was the first airline in the UK to have LCD TV screens in the cabins of their 757s. In 1998 the tour operator Thomas Cook Group acquired Flying Colours Leisure Group. Subsequently the in-house charter airline of Thomas Cook, Airworld, adopted the Flying Colours Airlines brand. In 1999 Thomas Cook completed the acquisition of Carlson Leisure Group, who operated the charter carriers Caledonian Airways and Peach Air. This led to a complete rebrand by Thomas Cook of its growing tour operation. In 2000, Thomas Cook rebranded their charter airline operations as JMC Air. JMC JMC stood for initials of Thomas Cook's son, John Mason Cook. . Thomas Cook acquired MyTravel Group PLC, parent of MyTravel Airways in June 2007. JMC was merged into Thomas Cook during March 2008. Thomas Cook UK Plc and the wider UK business has entered insolvency on September 23 2019 and ceased trading leaving cca 0.6 million passengers stranded at resorts around the world.

founded - demised (age)

1996 - September 23 2019  (23)

headquarters

, London

web

www.thomascookairlines.co.uk

base airports

EGCC Ringway International Manchester	main hub
EGKK Gatwick London	main hub
EGBB International Birmingham	hub
EGGD International Bristol	hub
EGNT International Newcastle	hub
EGSS Stansted London	hub
EGFF Glamorgan Cardiff	hub
EGGW Luton London	hub

related operators

Caledonian Airways (1988)	predecessor
Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia	sister co.
Thomas Cook Balearics	sister co.
Condor	sister co.