Ctrip to buy Skyscanner in $1.7b deal

Ctrip.com International Ltd will buy air-ticketing specialist Skyscanner Ltd for about 1.4 billion pounds ($1.7 billion), as China's biggest online travel company explores ways to expand beyond a home market it already dominates.

Ctrip, whose growth was tied to the phenomenal rise of Chinese tourism, will gain a strong foothold in Europe through the purchase of 13-year-old Skyscanner, one of the region's larger flight ticketing services with more than 60 million monthly active users.

The Chinese company said the acquisition will help it offer users a more complete array of options that combine air, rail and road travel.