HOLIDAY group Airtours has expanded with the takeover of two tour operators, one in the UK and Ireland and the other in the USA.

The Helmshore based firm is paying £10.5 million for Panorama Holiday Group which specialises in short-haul package tours from the UK and Ireland. In the last year, Panorama has carried an estimated 165,000 passengers, including 55,000 from Ireland where it is one of the largest package operators.

In its last full year it made a profit of £3 million and following the takeover will form part of Airtours' UK Leisure Group. Airtours is paying a further £14.2 million for Atlanta-based US tour operator Vacation Express, running holidays to Mexico and the Caribbean. This year it expects to carry 100,000 passengers.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.