Thomas Cook expands airline business by 10 percent for this summer

LONDON

: British travel company

Thomas Cook

said it was expanding its airline business for this summer, boosting capacity by 10 percent in response to growing demand from holidaymakers in Germany and Britain in recent months.

The company, due to report first quarter results on Thursday, said it would fly more routes from Germany after it bought a licence from now defunct airline

Air Berlin

, meaning it could fly six extra aircraft through its German airline Condor.

The balance of the growth would come from its newly-formed Spanish unit, Thomas Cook Airlines Balearics, which will operate five aircraft for use across the rest of the group's airlines where needed.

The additional capacity will mean it flies 70 new routes this summer, adding destinations in Croatia and the U.S.