LONDON - Thomas Cook has set a deadline of May 7 for expressions of interest in its airline business, with Indigo Partners and Lufthansa among the likely bidders, sources said.
Thomas Cook’s airlines business consists of Germany’s Condor, as well as British, Scandinavian and Spanish operations. British Airways owner IAG should not be ruled out and easyJet has engaged in talks but is seen as less interested, the source added.Another source said that private equity groups KKR and Apollo might also look at taking over the whole of Thomas Cook.
Lufthansa executives have said repeatedly that the German airline wants to “play an active role” in consolidation. The company was hit badly in 2018 when a hot European summer deterred customers from booking holidays through the year.