Nobody knows for sure yet - but if this is what it looks like (again) - are we all working on the assumption currently that this is for Monarch Holidays, and not Monarch airlines themselves? 8-10 A320 hardly seems adequate as rescue flights for the whole group.

Surely the Holiday flights will be on the scheduled fights anyway?

Your forgetting about AirTransat and it's hand full of wide bodied aircraft parked in France

There's also x3 Air Transat wide bodies. No doubt the CAA will be seeking other carriers if needed.

It is not clear if there are any other potential operators on standby around Europe. There were previous mentions of Air Transat in France. 2 in Bordeaux and 1 in Marseille. There are another 2 x Qatar A320 in Stansted that hasn't moved since they arrived but unsure if that's related.

If Monarch airlines are not affected then they could operate the Monarch holiday flights as normal without disruption on behalf of the CAA wouldn’t they? They would not need rescue aircraft?

Rescue planes arriving at all is a bad sign, but all the signs were wrong last year.

3 x LGW and 1 BHX airborne with another 2 pushing in DOH, EZY, Titan and Air Transat all prepped and others airlines too.

Wasn't the CAA meant to update at 4pm today?

And what's the point flying to BHX? Aircraft last year were positioned directly to Palma, Malaga etc!?

Here's the bad news, nobody will be providing rescue flights for passengers booked on scheduled flights if the airline goes into administration.

Unless someone does buy the airline.

Qatar Airways A320 just got airborne out of Doha heading for Birmingham. QR3257.

Is that the first sign?

The crew on the inbound will be out of hours crew arrive days ago on the flights that landed at Stansted so they will be sent to BHX and LGW to replace inbound crew

I think we can assume from the deafening silence that there has been no extension of the ATOL.

This is the aspect that gives me the only bit of hope I feel there can be.

If someone buys the airline it's a heck of a lot easier to operate the own fleet on.

I'm hoping and praying that IAGor somebody has bought Monarch. Saves all those jobs, aswell as potentially keeping the famous Monarch name.

Their Atol extension is until midnight. I read in one of our great British newspapers that an announcement would be at 4pm but I've not seen anything from the CAA to that effect.

Why do they need so many aircraft. It doesn't add up - if atol is 5% why would they need so many. Its not hugely different to last years is it in terms of capacity yet supposedly atol is 95% less YoY?

Well the same happened last year and for a much longer period and whilst it had the shadow in place.