Skyscanner

History

The company was formed by three information technology professionals. The Edinburgh office was opened in 2004.

In 2009, the year after SEP invested in the business, Skyscanner reported its first profit.

In 2011, Skyscanner acquired Zoombu. Skyscanner opened an office in Singapore in September 2011, which is headquarters for its Asia-Pacific operations. In 2012, a Beijing office was added, as Skyscanner began a partnership with Baidu, China's largest search engine.

By 2013, the company employed over 180 people. In February 2013, Skyscanner announced plans to open a United States base in Miami. In June 2014, Skyscanner acquired Youbibi, a travel search engine company based in Shenzhen, China.

By February 2015, the company employed 600 people, double the employment of 18 months earlier.

In January 2016, the company raised $192 million based on a $1.6 billion valuation for the company.

In November 2016, a Chinese company Trip.com Group (formerly Ctrip) bought Skyscanner for $1.75 billion. Following the sale to Ctrip, Skyscanner's largest shareholder, SEP, completed its exit from the business.

In 2017, Ctrip bought the Trip.com domain and launched Trip.com. The original platform became a subsidiary of Skyscanner.

In 2020, after the COVID-19 pandemic, the company announced that it would lay off 300 employees (20% of its staff). It was likely to close two offices in Budapest, Hungary and Sofia, Bulgaria.

In May 2025, the company announced the appointment of Bryan Batista, its chief operations officer, as its new chief executive replacing John Mangelaars. Batista took up the role from 1 June 2025.

References

References

1. (4 October 2019). "Skyscanner soars to record revenues under Chinese ownership". The Telegraph.
2. "United by a love of travel".
3. Trapp, Roger. (18 February 2006). "How to launch a great business". [[The Independent]].
4. "In pictures: inside Skyscanner's head office".
5. (2016-01-12). "Travel firm secures major investment". BBC News.
6. Butcher, Mike. (17 January 2011). "Travel search engine Skyscanner acquires Zoombu". [[TechCrunch]].
7. (26 June 2011). "Skyscanner to set up operation in Singapore". [[BBC News]].
8. (23 August 2012). "Skyscanner lands China search engine deal". [[BBC News]].
9. (4 February 2012). "Flight firm Skyscanner moves in to America". [[BBC News]].
10. (3 October 2013). "Skyscanner valued at $800m by backer of Apple". [[The Evening Standard]].
11. (25 June 2014). "Skyscanner buys Chinese metasearch firm Youbibi". [[BBC News]].
12. Russell, Jon. (23 February 2015). "Skyscanner optimistic as revenue growth slows". [[Financial Times]].
13. Shu, Catherine. (12 January 2016). "Travel Search Site Skyscanner Raises $192M For International Expansion". [[TechCrunch]].
14. Dickie, Mure. (23 November 2016). "China's Ctrip is buying flight search company SkyScanner for $1.74 billion.". [[TechCrunch]].
15. (2016-12-09). "Scottish Equity Partners exits Skyscanner following £1.4 billion sale".
16. Bort, Julie. (1 November 2017). "Tiny startup Trip.com has been acquired by Chinese travel giant Ctrip – a move that could shake up the travel industry". [[Business Insider]].
17. Rafiah, Moshe. (14 July 2020). "A Skyscanner update".
18. "Skyscanner".