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Thomas Cook airport slots bought by EasyJet and Jet2 | Thomas Cook airport slots bought by EasyJet and Jet2 |
(32 minutes later) | |
EasyJet and Jet2.com have bought all of the take-off and landing slots owned by collapsed travel firm Thomas Cook in UK airports. | |
The slots at London Gatwick and Bristol were bought by EasyJet for £36m, the government's liquidation service said. | The slots at London Gatwick and Bristol were bought by EasyJet for £36m, the government's liquidation service said. |
Jet2.com has bought slots at Manchester, Birmingham and Stansted airports for an undisclosed amount. | Jet2.com has bought slots at Manchester, Birmingham and Stansted airports for an undisclosed amount. |
Thomas Cook's UK business and airline entered insolvency in September, when a court appointed an official receiver. | |
EasyJet bought 12 summer take-off and landing slots, called pairs, at Gatwick and eight winter slot pairs. | |
It also bought six summer slot pairs and one winter slot pair at Bristol. | It also bought six summer slot pairs and one winter slot pair at Bristol. |
The slots will expand the airline's presence at each airport. | |
Gatwick says it is working with EasyJet to try out new ways to board passengers at the London airport. | |
These include boarding people in window seats first, starting at the back, followed by middle then aisle seats. | |
High demand | |
Gatwick said different boarding methods could reduce the journey from airport gate to seat by about 10%. | |
Take-off and landing slots can be highly sought after by carriers, as a lack of new runways in the UK has kept their supply low. In 2016, Oman Air paid $75m (£59m) for a single pair of slots at London Heathrow, according to The Times. | |
Last month, the receiver sold all 555 Thomas Cook retail outlets to Hays Travel, saving up to 2,500 jobs. | Last month, the receiver sold all 555 Thomas Cook retail outlets to Hays Travel, saving up to 2,500 jobs. |
The independent travel agent said the move gave it shops in areas where it had little or no presence, including Scotland and Wales. | The independent travel agent said the move gave it shops in areas where it had little or no presence, including Scotland and Wales. |
Thomas Cook's Condor airline in Germany was recued with the help of a loan from the German government. | |
Its Nordic business was bought last month by Norwegian billionaire Petter Stordalen and private equity firms Altor and TDR Capital. | |
Stordalen's Strawberry group and Altor took a 40% stake, with TDR Capital buying the remaining 20%. | |
The deal for Thomas Cook Northern Europe saved 2,300 jobs. |