The plea came from industry body the Air Travel Insolvency Protection Advisory Committee (Atipac).

It follows the UK’s decision to leave the EU. Atipac said it had highlighted its view in a letter to the new secretary of state for transport Chris Grayling.

The group said it believed the vote for Brexit had led to confusion within the sector about the new PTD, which had been due to be implemented in the UK by January 2018.

In a letter to the secretary of state for transport, the chair of Atipac, John Cox, said: “Despite the committee’s concerns about some aspects of the directive described in our report, we are convinced that an orderly implementation in the UK should proceed with deliberate speed, for two reasons: firstly, travel companies must have sufficient time to implement any changes to the current Atol regime; secondly, consumers can continue to take holidays safe in the knowledge that they are fully protected in the event that their travel company ceases to trade.”

Cox also referenced the collapse of the Lowcosttravelgroup, citing it as a “stark reminder of the importance of making sure UK consumers have effective protection whoever they book with, and that they fully understand how their holiday is protected”.

“This is another reason why we believe the government should move forward with plans to consult on implementing the new PTD,” he added.