An independent travel firm has closed suddenly.

Aossa Travel, which had been in business for 25 years and had offices in Gardner Street, Brighton, Montague Street, Worthing, and Langney Road, Eastbourne, has ceased trading.

The circumstances surrounding the closure remain a mystery despite The Argus’s attempts to get in touch with company directors.

Last night it was unclear how it would affect customers.

A message on the company’s answerphone said: “Aossa Travel has now ceased trading. We would like to thank our previous clients for all their loyal support.”

The message instructs people who need to get in contact with the company to email ms.sales@aossatravel.co.uk.

Last night The Argus emailed the address and left messages for listed directors Lena Batchelor and Kevin Lewis but received no response.

While it is unclear why the company has ceased trading, it has been widely reported that, like other sectors of the economy, the travel industry has been hit by the recession.

A spokeswoman for the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) said: “For us and our members the recession has had an impact.

“However, in terms of our bigger members, they have been in a fortunate position because they consolidated quite dramatically nearly 18 months ago and a lot of excess capacity in the market was taken up which has served the industry well.”

She added that much like any other industry smaller firms face tougher challenges compared to bigger firms.

She said: “We have had to cope with a vast range of changes in the last few years, when it comes to the internet and the no frills airlines.

“There have been large changes but we have got an industry sector which is dynamic and able to go with the flow and change and adapt.”

The spokeswoman said customers planning to book with any travel agent should always ask what protection they had if a holiday company went under.

Purchasing holidays on a credit card also ensures consumers are protected against any losses if a company goes out of business.

Have you been affected by the closure of Aossa Travel? Leave your comments below.