KINGSTON, Jamaica — Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett says he has received assurances that German and Scandinavian flights into Jamaica, operated by associated companies of collapsed British tour operator, Thomas Cook, will continue to operate.

“Vinggruppen, Scandinavia’s leading travel company has confirmed that its customers would not be affected by Thomas Cook’s collapse.  In addition, the group announced it would continue to invest and grow the business,” Bartlett said in a release yesterday.

He also explained that in Germany, Condor, which is a subsidiary of Thomas Cook, was offered a bridging loan of €380 million by the German federal government and its home state of Hesse.

“Overall then, for now, our coming flights between Sweden and Montego Bay and long running flights between Germany and Montego Bay are for now safeguarded. We remain active and will have more to say in short order,” Bartlett noted.

The 178-year-old British tour operator Thomas Cook collapsed Sunday night, immediately entering liquidation leaving hundreds of thousands of travellers stranded around the world.

Senior Advisor/Strategist at the Ministry of Tourism, Delano Seiveright, has noted that the ministry continues to liaise, on a frequent basis, with the UK High Commissioner and the German Ambassador to Jamaica, Asif Ahmad and Bernd von Munchow-Pohl, respectively, and hoteliers.

“We continue to troubleshoot issues involving some of their citizens that are in Jamaica on Thomas Cook related vacations. So far so good though, thankfully we are not seeing the major disruptions that travellers in other destinations are having,” Seiveright said.

He added that Bartlett is piloting, with JTB collaboration, several stakeholders working day and night to fill the gaps left by Thomas Cook and to come out even better.

Balford Henry