TUI UK will furlough around 11,000 staff from today, including almost 4,500 retail agents.

The company said 4,455 travel agency employees, roughly 99 per cent of shop staff, will be sent home following the closure of its high-street network.

The closure comes in response to the government lockdown to battle the coronavirus pandemic.

Andrew Flintham, managing director, TUI UK & Ireland, commented: “The travel industry is facing unprecedented pressure.

“We will continue to put the customer at the heart of what we do, and when they can holiday with us again, we want to be in the best position to deliver the wide range of destinations and experiences we do today.

“It is therefore imperative that we make these difficult cost decisions and also look after our colleagues during such unprecedented uncertainty.

“We are a fantastic business and we look forward to taking people on holiday again soon.”

The remaining 6,545 furloughed staff are from cabin crew, pilots, and staff in retail and head office functions.

TUI employs a total of 13,200 employees in the UK.

The company added it was working through all available options, particularly paying staff through the government job retention scheme.

Parent company TUI AG earlier this week secured a €1.8 billion loan from the German government, having suspended the vast majority of its travel operations.

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