Both firms are now licensed to carry around 5.3 million Atol-protected passengers over the next year, although Tui just shades the fight after upping the size of its Atol at the September round of renewals from 5,122,443 million to 5,336,410.

It is also licensed for 177,661 Atol to Atol sales, while its Marella Cruises brand has its own Atol for 245,715 passengers (up from 112,249 a year ago), bringing Tui’s total authorisations up to more than 5.75 million.

Jet2’s, meanwhile, is now licensed for exactly 5.3 million Atol-protected passengers – an increase of 500,000 on its pre-pandemic high of 4.8 million. This had dropped to 3.75 million at the end of September 2021, before Jet2 added nearly 900,000 additional seats for the summer in anticipation of huge post-Covid holiday demand.

Together, Tui and Jet2 now expect to carry more than 11.5 million Atol-protected passengers in the year to the end of September 2023, eclipsing the rest of the market.

However, there is another fierce battle developing for the title of the UK’s largest OTA, with On the Beach – just – taking the crown with an Atol for 1,863,023 Atol-protected sales versus Loveholidays’ 1,854,038.

The two firms have added more than 1.3 million seats between them – On the Beach is up by 526,422 while Loveholidays is up by 788,638.

EasyJet holidays, launched in 2019, is fifth with an Atol for 1,294,465 passengers, up from 855,700 at the end of September 2022.

The operator is targeting customer growth of 30% in 2023, and expects to post record profits of in excess of £35 million this year. EasyJet is licensed for a further 259,735 Atol-protected passengers under its own licence.

Booking.com, now sixth in the table, is the only other company to break the one million Atol authorisations mark with a licence for 1,071,430 holidaymakers.

British Airways Holidays is seventh (848,380, up from 643,745), Expedia Group eighth (636,171, up from 410,949), BravoNext SA / Lastminute.com ninth (607,726, up from 409,960) and Travel Republic tenth (368,780, up from 116,535).

The rest of the top 20 Atol holders runs:

• Virgin Holidays (264,122, up from 134,517)
• EasyJet Airline Company (259,735, up from 180,108)
• Southall Travel (248,800, no change)
• Thomas Cook Tourism (UK) Company Limited (247,565, up from 145,920)
• Marella Cruises (245,715, up from 112,249)
• Carnival plc (219,463, up from 126,459)
• Trailfinders (204,992, up from 161,966)
• Gold Medal (175,722, up from 174,881)
• Travel Up (144,000)
• Secret Escapes (124,691)

There are now 1,579 Atol holders in the UK, the CAA confirmed on Wednesday (5 October). Of the 1,047 Atols that expired on 30 September, 923 have been renewed, with a further 60 still pending.

Fifty of the 60 businesses with outstanding renewals provided a complete application less than 15 business days before the 30 September deadline, the CAA said.

There was an increase in the number of businesses seeking to renew their Atol this September versus the previous two years. Sixty-three did not apply to renew this September; this included 13 that have chosen to trade in a way that does not require an Atol.

At the end of September 2021, 144 did not apply to renew, while at the end of September 2020, 176 did not apply to renew. There was also an increase in the number of Atols granted during the September renewal window, up from 871 a year ago to 923.

CAA warning

The CAA said that while the figures were a welcome sign of the industry’s recovery from the pandemic, there were headwinds on the horizon such as the cost of living crisis.

Michael Budge, the CAA’s head of Atol, said: “As the travel sector recovers from the lingering effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, we’re pleased so many travel companies have engaged with us as we considered their licence application.

"Household budgets will be under pressure in the coming months, so it is more important than ever to ensure consumers enjoy Atol protection by booking with a licensed tour operator. We will continue to work with businesses to maintain resilience as the travel industry expects bookings to get back to pre-pandemic levels."