What was the previous name of TUI?

Thomson Airways, formerly Britannia, has become TUI Airways.



The TUI Group was formerly known as Preussag AG. Originally founded in 1923 as a German mining and industrial conglomerate (Preußische Bergwerks- und Hütten-Aktiengesellschaft), the company underwent a radical transformation in the late 1990s. Led by CEO Michael Frenzel, Preussag divested its heavy industrial assets—including steel and mining operations—and pivoted entirely toward the service and leisure industry by acquiring travel giants like Hapag-Lloyd and Thomson Travel. In 2002, the company officially rebranded as TUI AG (an acronym for Touristik Union International) to reflect its new identity as a global tourism leader. By 2026, TUI has solidified its status as the world's largest integrated travel company, owning a massive fleet of aircraft, cruise ships, and over 400 hotels, all rooted in its industrial-era predecessor's strategic shift toward the vacation market.

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The move was made because the company wanted to maximise the power of the Thomson name. In 2007, it merged with First Choice. Thomson was founded in 1965 by Roy Thomson, a Canadian newspaper baron.

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TUI and First Choice's in-house airlines, Thomsonfly and First Choice Airways, were brought together under the former's Air operator's certificate in May 2008, and the merged airline was rebranded as Thomson Airways in November 2008.

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The Thomson brand is being subsumed into the wider TUI - the German tourism conglomerate which bought it in 2000, when it was called Preussag AG. Since 2002, this Hanover-based giant has operated under the moniker TUI AG - which stands for Touristik Union International Aktiengesellschaft.

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TUI Group is a German leisure, travel and tourism company. TUI is an acronym for Touristik Union International (Tourism Union International). TUI AG was known as Preussag AG until 1997 when the company changed its activities from mining to tourism. It is headquartered in Hanover, Germany.

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TUI Airways is Certified as a 3-Star Leisure Airline for the quality of its airport and onboard product and staff service. Product rating includes seats, amenities, food & beverages, IFE, cleanliness etc, and service rating is for both cabin staff and ground staff.

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TUI Group is a German leisure, travel and tourism company. TUI is an acronym for Touristik Union International (Tourism Union International). TUI AG was known as Preussag AG until 1997 when the company changed its activities from mining to tourism. It is headquartered in Hanover, Germany.

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Royal Caribbean Group is the owner and operator of three award-winning cruise brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises, and it is also a 50% owner of a joint venture that operates TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.

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First Choice chief executive Peter Long said the merger will produce cost savings of £100m a year, the bulk of which will come from combining back office operations of the two businesses. Around a third of the planned savings will come from combining the airline businesses.

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