The troubled British travel operator Thomas Cook, which owns the Swedish charter company Ving, among other things, surged over 20 percent in the London Stock Exchange's opening after media reports that several suitors had approached the company about buying the company or parts of it.

Among the companies in the rumor mill is Chinese conglomerate Fosun, which is Thomas Cook's largest owner. A bid is being prepared, but could be several months away, a source tells Sky News. Wallenberg's venture capital firm EQT is also rumored to be considering a bid for the travel operator.

The company has faced double profit warnings, large losses and a credit rating downgrade in 2018 and is in great need of capital. In the industry, its main competitor Tui has also warned of profit during the year, while several airlines have gone bankrupt, including the British BMI and Icelandic Wow Air. Thomas Cook has closed 21 travel shops in the UK and laid off 300 people.

Last year, the company had a turnover of 9 billion pounds and served 19 million passengers with 22,000 people in the workforce spread across 16 countries.

Source: Nyhetsbyrån Direkt