AIRTOURS is to appeal against the European Commission ruling made in September to block its bid for First Choice.
The appeal, lodged last Thursday just hours before the deadline to appeal expired, will cost £1m per year and take between two and three years.
A new team will be drafted in to carry out detailed research while a new lawyer will be hired to oversee the appeal.
Group managing director Tim Byrne said: “In the end, it came down to the fact that this was a flawed ruling. Our major concern in appealing was the management time it would take but we are now bringing in a new team and an external lawyer to oversee the work so we will hardly be involved.
“The ruling has implications for our expansion. We feel the EC changed economic laws to fit their arguments.”
The EC insisted any deal would have led to collective dominance by three major companies, a claim vehemently denied by Airtours.
First Choice declined to comment.