Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

EasyJet and Jet2 buy Thomas Cook airport slots

EasyJet and Jet2 buy Thomas Cook airport slots

Slots at Gatwick, Bristol, Manchester, Birmingham and Stansted are bought as the travel firm is dismantled.

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.

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.

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.

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 rescued 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.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×