Consumer organisations have called for a compensation fund to be set up to protect people left stranded when airlines go out of business.

Travel trade organisations such as the ANWB, the Consumentenbond and the SGR compensation fund say the government should legislate to add 25 cents to the price of every ticket which would go into a collective insurance scheme.

This year alone Thomas Cook, Iceland-based Wow Air and Air Berlin have gone bust, leaving thousands of passengers to organise alternative flights home. Package holidays are covered by the SGR, but separately booked plane tickets are not.

‘It is obviously strange that customers have a legal guarantee against a travel company going bankrupt for a package trip of €700, but they’re left empty-handed if they buy separate tickets for €700,’ said Sandra Molenaar, general director of the Consumentenbond.