Flight Centre eyes ‘growth opportunities’ in UK

Flight Centre Travel Group is seeing “growth opportunities” for its branch network in the UK.

The disclosure came at the Australian company’s annual meeting as A$100 million in capital expenditure was outlined, with A$75 million directed towards technology and systems.

Chief executive Graham Turner said: “In relation to network growth, we plan to open about 35 leisure shops, including some 18 travel money outlets.

“We are generally happy with the Flight Centre shop network’s size, although there are some growth opportunities in the UK.”

However, the group’s business travel arm was now the largest division in terms of total transaction value (TTV) and has delivered “phenomenal growth”, he disclosed.

The division has seen recovery to about 135% of its pre-Covid size without major acquisitions and “well ahead” of the overall industry’s rebound.

The flagship FCM Travel brand, with a presence in 90 countries, generated almost a third (31%) of the overall group’s TTV in the 2024 financial year against 20% in pre-Covid 2019.

The top industries handled were manufacturing, technology, government, finance and banking, and education.

Flight Centre Corporate chief operating officer Melissa Elf said: “What we’ve seen in recent times is that corporate travel is anything but discretionary, it’s very much seen as a necessity for businesses to survive and thrive, while also being a key facet to winning new business, retaining staff, and growing.”