A second travel operator, K & S Travel, has gone into administration, according to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The company, which also operates under the name Travel Turkey, is based in north London. CAA press officer James Hotson told the Associated Press news agency that 400 people with holiday reservations would either have their bookings cancelled or refunded.

He added that 150 passengers were currently abroad on holidays booked with the company.

The CAA said it would help those stranded by the collapse of the firm and that holidaymakers covered under the Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing protection scheme (ATOL) would have their return flights paid for.

Britain’s third largest tour operator XL Leisure Group PLC went into liquidation on Friday. A spokesperon for the CAA said 52 flights, carrying 11,900 people stranded by the operator’s collapse, had brought holidaymakers back to the UK.

The watchdog said: “The CAA is organising flights for the customers protected under its ATOL protection scheme, and is offering capacity to enable those passengers who had bought only a flight with XL Airways and so are not ATOL-protected to fly back to the UK at a reasonable price.

“The CAA has organised flights to the UK from Orlando and Sanford (Florida), Las Palmas and Tenerife (Canaries), Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt), Mahon (Minorca), Palma (Majorca), Alicante and Malaga (Spain), Faro (Portugal), Kavala, Lefkas, Mykonos, Rhodes, Skiathos and Zante (Greece) and Bodrum and Dalaman (Turkey).

“The aircraft have been provided by BA, bmi British Midland, Monarch Airlines, First Choice Airways, Jet2.com, Astraeus and Virgin Atlantic,” it added.

XL Leisure traded under a host of brand names, including: XL Airways UK, Excel Aviation, Explorer House, Aspire Holidays, Freedom Flights, Freedom Flights (Aviation), The Really Great Holiday Company, Medlife Hotels, Travel City Flights, Kosmar Villa Holidays – all of which are now in administration.