TRAVEL giant Airtours today splashed out £81 million on a holiday firm.
The firm, which employs more than 1,000 at its East Lancashire sites, has moved into the telephone booking market by buying Direct Holidays.
The acquisition is the latest in a huge spending spree by the company which is now one of the world's leading players.
In the last 12 months the firm, which has headquarters in Helmshore and a satellite operation in the Globe Centre, Accrington, has spent more than £74 million on expansion.
Direct operates out of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle airports. Direct Cruises runs packages from Greenock, Liverpool, Newcastle and Belfast.
One of the firm's cruise ships, the Edinburgh Castle, hit the headlines after it was beset by a string of problems including flooding, electrical faults and major health scares.
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