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MMBA is registered with ACCA as an ATOL Reporting Accountant firm, and our Director, Mirza Sonaver Baig FCCA, is a designated ATOL Reporting Accountants (ARA). As specialist travel and hospitality accountants, we support ATOL holders across the UK with the accountant reporting and financial information the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) requires. Where your ATOL renewal needs an Annual Accountants’ Report (AAR), a designated ARA must sign it, and our designated ARA reviews and signs yours.
From statutory accounts and management accounts to monthly or quarterly ATOL Protection Contribution (APC) returns, we prepare the figures your renewal relies on where we also prepare your accounts or returns, a separate team prepares the figures and our ARA reviews them independently, in line with ACCA’s ethical requirements. Our team coordinates this work with your annual accounts, audit and taxes, so the same records support each one.
Our ATOL Reporting Accountant reviews and signs your AAR for the CAA. Before that, we check your passenger numbers and licensable revenue against your booking records, APC returns and accounts. Our ARA can sign your AAR because he is designated under the CAA’s ARA Scheme through ACCA, one of the approved professional bodies.
We reconcile passengers booked to your APC returns, and passengers carried and licensable revenue, on the departure-date basis the CAA requires, to your booking records and accounts. We find and correct any differences before you submit. Our ARA then reviews and signs the report on the CAA Portal.
Where your licence requires it, our ARA reviews and confirms your AAR Part 2 on the CAA Portal, using financial information from your ATOL application. We agree with these figures to your accounts first, as the CAA uses them in its assessment and renewal process. ‘Franchise ATOLs authorised for under £5 million revenue and 1,000 passengers are not normally asked for an AAR Part 2, so we check what your licence needs before we start. Any outstanding APC returns will delay your AAR Part 2, so we will help you clear them first.
We check which of your sales count towards your ATOL, and whether an exemption applies, before you apply. This means you avoid applying for a licence you may not need, or trading without one you do. The CAA makes the final decision on whether you need an ATOL.
We separate your licensable passengers and revenue from the rest of your booking data. Flight-inclusive packages and flight-only sales to UK consumers are generally licensable unless an exemption applies and only these sales affect your passenger numbers and licence size.
We identify the sales that do not count towards your ATOL, such as trips without a flight and bookings you make as an agent for another ATOL holder. We split them out on the booking-date and departure-date bases the CAA uses.
We check whether your business, or some of your sales, fall under an exemption in the ATOL Regulations. These include agents selling on behalf of an ATOL holder, businesses trading under an Accredited Body's ATOL and airline ticket agents selling flights for the airline.
We also check the less common exemptions. These include businesses selling under a general business travel agreement, and people arranging flights occasionally, on a not-for-profit basis, for a limited group. Further exemptions are set out in the CAA’s Official Record Series 3 (ORS3).
At MMBA Accountants, our ATOL work is led by Director and ATOL Reporting Accountant, Mirza Sonaver Baig MA, FCCA. He’s a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA) and holds a master’s degree in financial management from Liverpool John Moores University. His background includes work as a ATOL consultant, and he has been part of our team for over a decade.
Mirza brings more than 15 years supporting ATOL holders and signs off every ATOL report we prepare personally. He checks your Annual Accountants’ Report (AAR) against your booking records before it reaches the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), so the figures match your accounts. He then supports your licence renewal and keeps an eye on compliance throughout the year.
With over 20 years in accountancy, he also oversees our IATA financial assessments and our work for FCA-regulated and SRA-regulated businesses. For you, that means one senior adviser who understands your ATOL licence alongside your accounts, VAT and TOMS.
So, if ATOL compliance feels complicated or your renewal is coming up, Mirza’s guidance is just one consultation away.
From your first ATOL application to your annual renewal, we handle the reporting, reconciliations and accounts the CAA asks for.
We handle your ATOL licence on the CAA Portal, from new applications to renewals and variations. This covers choosing a Standard, Small Business (up to 500 passengers and £1 million licensable revenue), Trade or Franchise ATOL, or Accredited Body membership. We also handle changes of activities, ownership or directors through our company secretarial filings at Companies House.
We keep your ATOL reporting current all year, from APC returns to renewal. This covers preparing and submitting monthly or quarterly APC returns, depending on your licence, and getting AAR Part 1 and Part 2 ready for ARA review. Where required, we also prepare Airline Ticket Agent Reports, factual confirmations and ring-fencing reports.
We reconcile your licensable turnover and passenger numbers, from bookings to accounts, so your AAR matches your APC returns. This covers booking-date, departure-date and due-to-departure analysis, licensable and non-licensable, ATOL-to-ATOL, principal and agent, and flight-only and package sales. We also reconcile customer receipts, supplier payments, refunds and cancellations.
We prepare the financial information the CAA uses to test your financial fitness, from forecasts to statutory accounts. This covers budgets, cash flow, management accounts, statutory audit, deferred income, customer advances and business growth advice. We also support any ATOL and IATA financial security bonds the CAA requires, and VAT under the Tour Operators’ Margin Scheme (TOMS).
We review your records and controls before renewal, from compliance health checks to pre-renewal and pre-submission reviews. This covers fixing data-quality issues in time, training your staff on ATOL compliance and setting up travel accounting software linked to your booking system. We also monitor your APC, AAR and renewal deadlines and keep your compliance under review all year.
We handle your contact with the CAA, from correspondence to portal updates. This covers CAA queries and financial information requests, support with licence conditions, CAA Portal access and licence information updates. Where permitted, we also act as your authorised representative.
Tell us your licence type and renewal date, and we’ll confirm what your AAR and renewal need.
Six steps from your first call to signed AAR on the CAA Portal.
| 1. Book a scope call |
We confirm your licence type, renewal date and what the CAA needs. |
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2. Send your records |
Sales records with licensable and non-licensable splits, passenger numbers, APC returns, latest financial statements, trial balance, bank statements and ATOL certificates issued. We send you a checklist. |
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3. Reconcile AAR Part 1 |
We reconcile passengers booked to your APC returns and report revenue on a departure-date basis. |
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4. Check AAR Part 2 |
We agree the financial information in your application to your latest financial statements. |
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5. Resolve any differences |
Where figures differ, our ARA explains why, and we help you correct and resubmit. |
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6. AAR Signed on the CAA Portal |
Our ARA signs your AAR, and it goes to the CAA. |
Since 2009, we have supported UK travel businesses as an ACCA Member Firm and ACCA Registered Auditors, bringing your ATOL reporting, accounts and audits together.
Here is what our clients say about working with the MMBA team.
We work with ATOL holders across the UK from our offices in London, Cambridge, Preston and Luton, whether you need a first licence or a yearly renewal.
Beyond ATOL, our team supports your wider accounts, VAT and tax, and our advisory services for UK businesses help you plan for growth.
0203 355 0841
From your first application to each renewal, we keep your ATOL reporting, accounts and AAR in line. Tell us about your licence and your next renewal date, call 020 3355 0841 or send us a message.
Our guides cover ATOL renewal, costs, complaints and how ATOL compares with ABTA.
An ATOL Reporting Accountant (ARA) is an accountant designated under the CAA’s ARA Scheme to review and sign your AAR. At MMBA, our ARA is a director of the firm, designated through ACCA.
Businesses selling air travel packages and flights must obtain an ATOL in the United Kingdom. Tour operators; travel agents; flight-only sales; and retailers and online sellers need an ATOL to protect consumers purchasing package holidays and flights. All travel-related businesses don’t need an ATOL, like its not a typical requirement of a rent a car business that doesn’t combine it into a package with flights.
Certain requirements and qualifications to become an ATOL reporting accountant include accounting qualification, membership in professional accounting bodies, knowledge of ATOL regulations, auditing skills, continuing professional development, communication skills, ethical conduct, technology proficiency, and experience.
A consultant advises on licensing and compliance, but only a designated ARA can sign your AAR. At MMBA, our team offers both, and our ARA sign your AAR.
Yes. Your ARA does not have to be your accountant or auditor. We agree the scope and access to your records, and our ARA stays independent of you.
No. An AAR is a CAA reporting engagement, while a statutory audit follows company law and auditing standards. Where you need both, we coordinate them.
Your licence lapses, and the CAA adds your business to its public list of companies that have not renewed their ATOL. You cannot then legally sell licensable trips, so we track your deadlines to help you submit your AAR on time.
Your ARA must decline AAR Part 1 until you correct and resubmit it. We reconcile your APC returns, paid at £2.50 per passenger into the Air Travel Trust, before you submit.
