Scottish flight site Skyscanner sold to China
UK unicorn Skyscanner has been sold to Ctrip in a deal worth £1.4 billion.
The Edinburgh-based flight comparison company will continue to operate independently after it's taken over by China's Ctrip in a deal worth £1.4 billion (around $1.75 billion or AU$2.3 billion).
"Ctrip and Skyscanner share a common view," said Gareth Williams, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Skyscanner, "that organizing travel has a long way to go to being solved. To do so requires powerful technology and a traveler-first approach."
Founded in 2001, Skyscanner has over 50 million users every month searching for cheap deals on flights, hotels, and rental cars. It's one of the UK's "unicorns", a startup worth more than £1 billion.
The deal is announced just days after the conservative government pledged to prevent British companies being sold off.