Skyscanner's volcanic ash fears put in the shade

SKYSCANNER, the Edinburgh-based travel search engine, has generated £3 million of revenues in its second quarter, despite the volcanic ash cloud and a lull in holiday bookings during the World Cup.

The figure, for the three months to the end of June, is double that of the same period last year, driven by 75 per cent growth in its Asian markets.

"It has been another exceptional quarter," said chief executive Gareth Williams, who founded the firm nine years ago after devising his own software program to find the cheapest route to visit his brother in the French Alps.

"The continued upward trend is particularly encouraging considering the disruption over the last few months created by volcanic ash, strikes and the World Cup which has been affecting the travel sector as some put off planning their holidays until it's all over."

Skyscanner, which offers price information on more than 670,000 routes covered by more than 600 airlines, and employs 68 people at its Edinburgh headquarters, said sites in new markets including Finland, Hungary and Ukraine, had also delivered "encouraging" growth.

The firm earlier this year admitted it had benefited from increased visits to its website during the volcanic ash crisis, as passengers attempted to find alternative routes home.

Williams added that flights found for customers by Skyscanner had generated around 150m downstream revenue for airlines, which have been hard hit by the economic downturn.