I wonder how many other countries would have the government step in to repatriate people vs them having to sort their own flights out etc.
Oh look, there’s an EU law about it 🙂
However, under European legislation, travel businesses selling package holidays within the EU must provide financial protection to consumers. In these circumstances, the consumer must go to the protection authority of the country in which the business is based for that protection. The protection provided in these countries should be every bit as comprehensive as ATOL protection but bear in mind that there may be some difference to ATOL, such as the provision of repatriation flights where if you were affected you may have to repay for new flights and claim them back at a later date.