In a statement, Balkan stressed it had not gone into administration, but had taken a proactive decision to exit the UK market. All forward bookings with the brand have been cancelled.
“The company is solvent, but it has become increasingly difficult to be competitive and profitable in the UK," said managing director Alexander Stoyanov. “I am really sorry to disappoint our loyal customers and the fantastic travel agents who have booked holidays with us for this summer and beyond and have given us so much business over the years."
Stoyanov added redundancies would be "unavoidable". Balkan Holidays was licensed to carry 27,817 Atol-protected passengers in the year to the end of March 2026.
Any agents with clients affected by Balkan’s decision can rebook them with easyJet holidays on a discounted (£50) seven-night break by emailing balkan@easyjet.com within 24 hours of making the booking. The offer runs until 31 May.
To qualify, customers must have a Balkan Holidays confirmation email showing the names and ages of all travellers, along with the easyJet holidays booking reference. EasyJet holidays will apply the discount within 14 days of receiving an eligible claim. Travel agents can claim on behalf of their customers.
Paul Bixby, easyJet holidays’ chief commercial officer, said: “We hope this small gesture provides [Balkan customers] some support as they make new holiday arrangements. We’re deeply sorry to hear the news that Balkan Holidays has ceased trading. Our thoughts are with the team at Balkan and the many customers whose travel plans have been affected."
Jet2holidays also appears to have made a pitch for Balkan Holidays customers affected by the operator’s UK closure.
It sent an email to agent partners on Friday morning (25 April) promoting its Bulgarian breaks, hours after the news broke. “For a family-friendly getaway that won’t break the bank, Bulgaria is the ticket," read the email.
The email highlighted several popular destinations in Bulgaria, including Sunny Beach, Nessebar, St Vlas, Varna, Burgas and Sozopol.
It later followed this up in another email to agents with a formal offer of an additional £100 off all Bulgaria bookings made by 1 May.
