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ESky Group

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eSky Group
Company typePrivate
IndustryTourism, travel, hospitality
FoundedJuly 1, 2004
FoundersŁukasz Habaj, Łukasz Kręski, Piotr Stępniewski, Agnieszka Stępniewska
HeadquartersGreen Park, Murckowska 14A Street, Katowice, Poland
Area served
Europe, North America, South America, Africa
Key people
 Łukasz Habaj [pl] (CEO), Andrzej Kozłowski (CFO), Łukasz Neska (CGO), Piotr Woś (CTO)
BrandseSky, eDestinos, Thomas Cook Tourism
ServicesPackage holidays and city breaks, flights, accommodations, travel insurance, car and yacht rentals, experiences, attractions, sporting events
Revenue€801,000,000 (+42% YoY) (2023)
€18,700,000 (-11% YoY) (2023)
Number of employees
750+ (as of September 2024)
ParentMCI Capital (55% stake)
Websiteesky.com, esky.co.uk

eSky Group is a Polish-based travel technology company that owns and operates several online travel agency brands in 50 markets across Europe, the Americas, and Africa.[1][2][3] The company provides dynamic packages for holidays and city breaks,[4] standalone flights, accommodations, and other travel services.[5]

The Group operates under the eSky (Europe, North America, Africa), eDestinos (Latin America) and Thomas Cook brands.[6] The company also holds Travel Agent Accreditation of the International Air Transport Association (no. 63210803).[7]

History

[edit]

eSky Group was founded in Poland in 2004 and initially handled trips as part of the Work and Travel program.[8] Since 2005, the company has been selling airline tickets through its online platform,[9] with approximately 550 airlines included in its flight inventory under agreements.[10] In 2009, an online hotel reservation system and travel insurance sales were launched, and in 2015, a car rental service.

In June 2017, 6.3% of eSky Group shares were bought for PLN 15.6 million by Wirtualna Polska Group,[11] which in March 2020 sold its eSky share package under the put option.[12]

In 2022, the company’s owner changed,[13] with MCI Capital listed private equity took a 55% stake in eSky Group.[14][15]

The founders of eSky Group remained the controlling shareholders, holding a total of 45% of the company's shares, and the transaction amounted to approximately PLN 158 million and also included the recapitalization of the company.[16]

In 2023, due to a business transformation towards a package travel provider,[17] the Polish OTA switched its focus from flights aggregation to combining flights and accommodations into city breaks and holidays packages.[18] The same year, the company reported revenue of more than €800m – an increase of 42% year-on-year – with around 3.3m customers using its services.[19] eSky Group's EBITDA amounted to €18.7m.[20]

International operations

[edit]

In 2023, eSky Group expanded its payment processing capabilities in Latin America and Africa through a signed partnership with dLocal, a cross-border payments platform.[21]

In April 2024, eSky Group established a partnership with Ryanair, Europe's low-cost carrier, becoming one of the first authorised online travel agencies to provide Ryanair flights, seats, and baggage.[22] The deal guaranteed passengers that their contact and payment information is provided from the travel agent directly to the airline.[23]

At the same time, the travel platform started offering package holidays and city breaks in the United Kingdom.[24] This followed the passing the UK's Civil Aviation Authority approval, and the company covered its packages with the Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (ATOL) protection scheme (no. 12520).[25]

In September 2024, eSky Group acquired Thomas Cook from Hong Kong’s Fosun Tourism Group, excluding its operations in China and India.[18] The company expanded from an online flight aggregator to a provider of package holidays and city breaks in over 50 countries.[26]

References

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  1. ^ Percival, Geoff (2024-09-05). "Polish OTA eSky Agrees to Buy Thomas Cook Brand - ittn.ie". ittn.ie. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  2. ^ "Thomas Cook finds new home with Poland's eSky Group". www.phocuswire.com. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  3. ^ "Recovering firm Thomas Cook acquired by Polish travel group eSky". euronews. 2024-09-06. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  4. ^ Byers, Jim (2024-09-06). "Chinese Group Sells Thomas Cook to Polish Travel Platform". Open Jaw. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  5. ^ "eSky Group: a global travel platform with Polish roots". pressroom.esky.com. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  6. ^ "Check A Code". store.iata.org. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  7. ^ O'Neill, Sean (2024-09-05). "Fosun Sells Thomas Cook to Private Equity-Backed eSky: 8 Takeaways". Skift. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  8. ^ "Polish travel platform eSky to buy Thomas Cook from China's Fosun". Reuters. 2024-09-05. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
  9. ^ Ltd, Jacobs Media Group. "Thomas Cook acquired by traveltech firm eSky Group". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  10. ^ Varley, Len (2024-09-06). "Thomas Cook Returns to European Ownership Under Poland's eSky Travel Group". AviationSource News. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  11. ^ "Wirtualna Polska inwestuje 15,6 mln zł w eSky.pl". www.wirtualnemedia.pl (in Polish). 2017-06-10. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  12. ^ "Wirtualna Polska: 17 mln zł wpływów ze sprzedaży 6,5 proc. akcji eSky". www.wirtualnemedia.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  13. ^ "MCI.EuroVentures will acquire 55% of eSky shares - Grupa MCI". mci.pl. 2022-02-04. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  14. ^ "ESky Group Buys Thomas Cook For £30 Million". Finimize. 2024-09-05. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  15. ^ "eSky ze wzrostem sprzedaży o 34 proc., MCI zainwestuje 158 mln zł w 55 proc. akcji". www.wirtualnemedia.pl (in Polish). 2022-02-02. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  16. ^ "MCI.EuroVentures obejmie 55% udziałów w eSky - Grupa MCI Capital S.A." mci.pl (in Polish). 2022-02-02. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  17. ^ "Fosun Tourism Group sells Thomas Cook subsidiary to eSky for $30M". Travel Daily News Asia. 2024-09-06. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
  18. ^ a b Sugiura, Eri; Leng, Cheng (2024-09-05). "Thomas Cook acquired by Polish travel group eSky". Financial Times. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  19. ^ Wales, Bethany (2024-09-05). "Thomas Cook snapped up by Polish tech firm in £30m buyout". City AM. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  20. ^ "Recovering firm Thomas Cook acquired by Polish travel group eSky". euronews. 2024-09-06. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  21. ^ Woffenden, Claire (2023-11-25). "dLocal Expands Payment Partnership with eSky Group in Latin America and Africa". The Fintech Times. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  22. ^ Percival, Geoff (2024-05-13). "Ryanair Sales Partnership with Polish OTA eSky Officially Goes Live - ittn.ie". ittn.ie. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  23. ^ Whitaker, Greg (2024-04-02). "Sixth OTA joins Ryanair in partnership". Aviation Business News. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  24. ^ "Platforma eSky z licencją na sprzedaż podróży w Wielkiej Brytanii". Rzeczpospolita (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  25. ^ "Search ATOL holders | Civil Aviation Authority". www.caa.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  26. ^ Tamm, Heike (2024-09-06). "eSky to acquire Thomas Cook from China's Fosun". AviTrader Aviation News. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
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