Skyscanner records sharp increase in turnover and profits

Skyscanner’s revenues have taken flight three years after the airline booking app was bought by the Chinese.

The Edinburgh-headquartered company saw revenues soar 21pc to a record £261m, according to accounts for its UK business. Profits grew to £36m from around £19m the previous year, another new record for the company.

The company, founded in 2001 by entrepreneur Gareth Williams, was one of the most successful Scottish start-ups of the early 2000s and had been hailed as a British success story before it was acquired by Chinese travel firm Ctrip in 2016 for £1.4bn.

By December , Skyscanner plans to begin displaying the airfares for five airlines in the same way those airlines do on their own sites, said Piero Sierra, vice president of product. Expect to see branded fares, such as American Airlines’ so-called main cabin extra product that offers extra legroom.