Seven businesses owe the bulk of the total £3.4 billion loaned under the Covid Corporate Financing Facility run by the Treasury and the Bank of England.

Ryanair, a regular critic of government bailouts to airlines, tops the list at £600 million, with easyJet and Wizz Air each accountable for £300 million. Jet2 has £200 million to repay and Flight Centre £115 million. The others are Gatwick, at £275 million and Stagecoach, with £300 million.

A Bank of England spokesperson said it could not comment on individual companies’ repayment dates but added: “The scheme is due for final repayment by March 2022. Some firms may have borrowed up to that date, and some may have arranged to repay before then.” 

In addition to the more familiar travel brands, SSP Financing, part of the SSP Group, owes £300 million. It operates food outlets at airports and rail stations under a variety of brands including Camden Food Co and Upper Crust.

The full list of those owing money amounts to 17 names, with the next biggest category after travel being from the housing association sector.