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Skyscanner

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Skyscanner Ltd.
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryTravel
Founded2002; 24 years ago (2002)
Founders
  • Gareth Williams
  • Barry Smith
  • Bonamy Grimes
Headquarters
Edinburgh, Scotland
,
United Kingdom
Key people
  • Bryan Batista (CEO)
Revenue£261 million (2016)[1]
Number of employees
1,500+ (2026)[2]
ParentTrip.com Group
Websiteskyscanner.net

Skyscanner Ltd. is a British search aggregator and travel agency based in Edinburgh, Scotland and operating since 2002.

History

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The company was formed by three information technology professionals.[3] The Edinburgh office was opened in 2004.[4]

In 2007, Scottish Equity Partners (SEP) invested £2.5 million in the company for a 40% stake.[5] In 2009, Skyscanner reported its first profit.[6]

In 2011, Skyscanner acquired Zoombu.[7] Skyscanner opened an office in Singapore in September 2011, which is the headquarters for its Asia-Pacific operations.[8] In 2012, a Beijing office was added, as Skyscanner began a partnership with Baidu, China's largest search engine.[9]

By 2013, the company employed over 180 people.[10] In February 2013, Skyscanner announced plans to open a United States base in Miami.[10] In October 2013, Sequoia Capital purchased an interest in Skyscanner that valued the company at $800 million.[11] In June 2014, Skyscanner acquired Youbibi, a travel search engine company based in Shenzhen, China.[12]

By February 2015, the company employed 600 people, double the employment of 18 months earlier.[13]

In January 2016, the company raised $192 million based on a $1.6 billion valuation for the company.[14] SEP, which owned a 40% stake in 2007, sold 5% through the exchange.[15]

In November 2016, a Chinese company Trip.com Group (formerly Ctrip) bought Skyscanner for $1.75 billion.[16] Following the sale to Ctrip, Skyscanner's largest shareholder, SEP, completed its exit from the business.[17]

In 2017, Ctrip bought the Trip.com domain and launched Trip.com. The original platform became a subsidiary of Skyscanner.[18]

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.[19]

In May 2025, the company announced the appointment of Bryan Batista, its chief operations officer, as its new chief executive replacing John Mangelaars.[20] Batista took up the role from 1 June 2025.[20]

Product

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Skyscanner is often listed among websites that help find cheap flights.[21] Its "Everywhere" feature allows users to find cheapest global destinations from a city.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Field, Matthew (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". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
  5. ↑ Shead, Sam. "Skyscanner is about to make some of its early investors very rich". Business Insider. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "Travel firm secures major investment". BBC News. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  7. ↑ Butcher, Mike (17 January 2011). "Travel search engine Skyscanner acquires Zoombu". TechCrunch.
  8. ↑ "Skyscanner to set up operation in Singapore". BBC News. 26 June 2011.
  9. ↑ "Skyscanner lands China search engine deal". BBC News. 23 August 2012.
  10. 1 2 "Flight firm Skyscanner moves in to America". BBC News. 4 February 2012.
  11. ↑ "Skyscanner valued at $800m by backer of Apple". The Evening Standard. 3 October 2013.
  12. ↑ "Skyscanner buys Chinese metasearch firm Youbibi". BBC News. 25 June 2014.
  13. ↑ Russell, Jon (23 February 2015). "Skyscanner optimistic as revenue growth slows". Financial Times.
  14. ↑ Shu, Catherine (12 January 2016). "Travel Search Site Skyscanner Raises $192M For International Expansion". TechCrunch.
  15. ↑ Shead, Sam. "Skyscanner is about to make some of its early investors very rich". Business Insider. Retrieved 29 June 2026.
  16. ↑ Dickie, Mure (23 November 2016). "China's Ctrip is buying flight search company SkyScanner for $1.74 billion". TechCrunch.
  17. ↑ "Scottish Equity Partners exits Skyscanner following £1.4 billion sale". Growth Business. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  18. ↑ 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.
  19. ↑ Rafiah, Moshe (14 July 2020). "A Skyscanner update". Skyscanner.
  20. 1 2 "Skyscanner". www.skyscanner.net. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
  21. ↑ Compton, Natalie B. (30 June 2022). "How to set price alerts to find the cheapest flights". The Washington Post. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
  22. ↑ "Google Flights vs Skyscanner: Honest Comparison in 2026". www.going.com. Retrieved 3 July 2026.
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