(Adds details on outlook, Thomas Cook liquidation, expected
share move, background)
Oct 11 (Reuters) - Dart Group, the owner of British
airline and tour operator Jet2, said it had seen stronger demand
for some of its products since Thomas Cook entered into
compulsory liquidation last month, and expects full-year pretax
profit to exceed market expectations.
The company said on Friday it had received good levels of
later season bookings in its leisure travel business, with
strong demand for its Flight-Only offering and Package Holiday
products.
Thomas Cook, the world's oldest travel company whose shops
have been a feature of British town centres for generations,
collapsed last month, stranding tens of thousands of passengers
as its UK business went into liquidation.
Dart, which runs Britain's third-biggest airline in terms of
passenger numbers behind easyJet Plc and British
Airways, said it will continue to assess the impact Thomas
Cook's collapse will have on its business in the coming months.
Shares in the company were seen rising as much as 15%,
according to premarket indicators.
"Given the cost pressures the travel industry is facing in
general, which will intensify given the weakness in sterling,
plus the deepening Brexit uncertainty and the impact this may
have on consumer confidence, we remain very cautious in our
outlook," the company said.
Dart's airline Jet2.com competes against Ryanair Holding Plc
and easyJet, while its package holiday business
Jet2holidays competes against TUI AG.
($1 = 0.8035 pounds)
(Reporting by Tanishaa Nadkar in Bengaluru; Editing by Bernard
Orr)