The group was granted the Atol seven months ago, but UK director Tricia Handley-Hughes said the delay was a "strategic decision" to ensure the products were "carefully identified" and tested. 

"In addition we have been taking agents through regulatory training followed by testing to ensure they understood the importance of attention to details and remaining compliant," she added.

"In our opinion, it’s better to remain compliant and get it right first time than measure the time taken."

Handley-Hughes claimed it "has always been" the firm’s intention to sell Atol products via its suppliers, which will only apply when a customer request cannot be fulfilled. The Atol is for 5,310 passengers a year.

"Therefore, we expect only a small percentage of agents will package their own product," she continued.

"As with all agents, we will monitor this through our reporting mechanism on a monthly basis and adjust if necessary, but at this time there is no immediate intention or need to increase the number of seats."

The group, which has 11,524 UK homeworkers, will monitor the progress of Atol before putting further plans in place, and said its current priority is "supporting agents" with immediate travel plans.