'More airlines at risk' as XL's collapse strands thousands

A FURTHER 30 airlines could go bust in the next three months, the chief executive of British Airways warned last night, after the collapse of XL Leisure Group.

Willie Walsh said there were many other "weak" airlines worldwide that he expected would suffer the same fate as Britain's third largest tour operator.

More than 65,000 holidaymakers were left stranded by the collapse of XL Leisure yesterday. Hundreds of people arrived at UK airports to find their flights had been cancelled after the group went into administration, blaming volatile fuel prices and the economic downturn.

Tens of thousands of people on foreign breaks were left wondering how they would get home.

About 200,000 customers with advance bookings with XL have had their flights cancelled.