German tour operator TUI AG is signing new, long-term contracts with Greek hoteliers who were not previously in its portfolio, in a bid to expand further in Greece after the collapse of rival British company Thomas Cook.

It remains unclear how many out of the 1.4 million travelers who had booked Thomas Cook packages would be attracted to the TUI camp, as there is a shortage in air seat availability in the broader region – and particularly in Greece.

At a meeting on Friday in Athens, senior TUI official Sebastian Ebel said that “we associate each bed with an air seat,” but stressed that his aim is to bring over as many travelers as possible.

TUI has already launched its bid to fill in for Thomas Cook, starting with October holiday packages. In the last five days it has also embarked on contacts with Greek hoteliers for new deals, earlier than in any other year.

This article was originally published at ekathimerini.com.