Travel tech company Yatra has denied reports claiming that the promoters of ixigo are in advanced discussions to acquire a substantial stake in the company.
According to sources cited by CNBC Awaaz, ixigo was preparing to acquire the promoters’ stake in Yatra Online. The company is reportedly looking to buy between 15% and 20% of the promoters’ shareholding.
The report added that ixigo had already submitted a formal bid for the proposed transaction. The discussions for the stake sale were said to be in the final stages.
As of March 31, 2026, Yatra’s promoters — THCL Travel Holding Cyprus Ltd and Asia Consolidated Dmc Pte Ltd — held 62.66% stake or 9.83 Cr in the company. Earlier in February, THCL Travel Holding Cyprus sold 28.33 Lakh shares in a block deal for ₹44.8 Cr.
The clarification came after stock exchanges, NSE and BSE, sought an explanation from Yatra regarding the report.
While Yatra has rejected the report, the speculation comes at a time when ixigo has been actively pursuing acquisitions to expand beyond its core travel booking business.
A few weeks back, ixigo’s board approved the acquisition of a majority stake in hotel booking startup Brevistay for ₹65.7 Cr. Besides Brevistay, ixigo’s board also approved stake acquisitions in two AI startups –- ProactAI and Vestra.AI — for about ₹12 Cr.
The acquisition followed two overseas transactions announced in March. Back then, the company announced that it plans to acquire 60% stake in Trenes for €11.7 Mn (about ₹125 Cr), and 45.02% stake in Sqaas for €450K (₹4.8 Cr) in March.
The company has repeatedly said it remains open to additional acquisitions and strategic investments across travel and AI. To note, the travel tech company has earmarked a significant portion of the ₹1,295 Cr it recently raised via a QIP for both organic and inorganic growth opportunities, including acquisitions.
The market speculation around the Yatra stake acquisition deal becomes more notable given that Yatra remains one of the few listed online travel aggregator (OTA) competitors for ixigo. ixigo competes with listed companies like Yatra, EaseMyTrip and MakeMyTrip.
However, Yatra’s recent financial performance has been mixed. For the quarter ended March 2026, its net profit fell 46% year-on-year to ₹8.2 Cr as revenue declined 14% to ₹189 Cr.
The company attributed some of the pressure to geopolitical disruptions that affected its meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) business. Several bookings were either cancelled or deferred during the quarter.
Despite the weak quarter, Yatra reported a stronger full-year performance. Net profit rose nearly 28% to ₹46.8 Cr in FY26, while revenue increased 27% to more than ₹1,000 Cr. The company also added 55 new corporate customers during the quarter, with an estimated annual revenue potential of ₹270.9 Cr.
Shares of Yatra ended 0.44% lower at ₹112.5 on BSE today. Meanwhile, ixigo’s shares gained 2.42% to end the day at ₹194.4.
The post Yatra Says Report Of Stake Acquisition By ixigo ‘Innaccurate’ appeared first on Inc42 Media.
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