The eSky Group decided to acquire the rights for Thomas Cook, the world’s oldest travel brand. The acquisition agreement will allow the Polish company to open a new chapter for the British travel icon’s more than 180-year history, and to enter Europe’s top companies selling dynamic flight-plus-hotel travels.

Poland’s eSky Group intends to support the British travel brand in its further development and use its experience to strengthen its position in the UK and across Western Europe. These steps will pave the way for eSky to become one of the leading companies in Europe selling dynamic flight-plus-hotel tourist packages. The eSky travel platform operates in more than 50 countries in Europe, the Americas and Africa.

“The synergy of Thomas Cook’s nearly two hundred years of brand heritage with eSky’s technology and understanding of the needs of today’s consumers will allow us to strengthen our position in Western Europe, as well as increase the flexibility of our offer. The acquisition will bring us to the forefront of companies selling dynamic packages in the UK, which will be an excellent promotion of the Polish business on the international stage,” said Lukasz Habaj, CEO of the eSky Group.

In 2020, Thomas Cook – less than a year after declaring bankruptcy as a tour operator – re-entered the market with an expanded offering in the Online Travel Agencies segment. Until now, the brand was owned by investment fund Fosun Tourism Group, which also owns such global brands as Club Med which operates some 70 all-inclusive resorts.

The deal between the eSky Group and the Fosun Tourism Group fund is for the acquisition of the Thomas Cook brand with the exception of its operations in China. The amount of the transaction was not disclosed. The conclusion of the transaction is subject to the fulfillment of the conditions presented by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

Source: PAP, eSky

Tomasz Modrzejewski