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EasyJet and Jet2.com have bought all of the takeoff and landing slots owned by collapsed travel firm Thomas Cook in UK airports.
The slots at London Gatwick and Bristol were bought by EasyJet for £36m, the government’s liquidation service said.
Jet2.com has bought slots at Manchester, Birmingham and Stansted airports for an undisclosed amount.
Thomas Cook’s UK business and airline entered insolvency in September, and a court appointed an official receiver.
EasyJet bought 12 summer takeoff and landing slots, called pairs, at Gatwick and eight winter slot pairs.
It also bought six summer slot pairs and one winter slot pair at Bristol.
Takeoff and landing slots can be highly sought after by carriers as a lack of new runways in the UK has kept their supply low. In 2016, Oman Air paid $75m (£59m) for a single pair of slots at London Heathrow, according to The Times.
Last month, the receiver sold all 555 Thomas Cook retail outlets to Hays Travel, saving up to 2,500 jobs.
The independent travel agent said the move gave it shops in areas where it had little or no presence, including Scotland and Wales.
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