 Thomson Holidays now TUI AG grew with the acquisition of Sky Tours, Rivera Holidays and a then small air carrier Britannia Airways.Britannia became a major charter airline and Thomson leased a fleet of Boeing 737-200 aircraft, becoming the first European carrier to buy the Boeing product.Brunton believed Thomson had certain advantages in entering the travel market, at a time when tastes were changing for British holidaymakers with shifting aspirations for overseas holidays.