TOUR giant Airtours is this week making its final case to monopoly watchdogs over its proposals to buy rival First Choice.

First Choice's directors favoured a merger with Swiss rival Kuoni, but shareholders voted to await the outcome of the European Commission's probe into the Airtours offer.

A spokesman for Airtours declined to comment on the progress of negotiations with the regulator.

"All conversations are confidential," he said.

It is expected the company will make a number of disposals including its Unijet tour operation.

Press reports have said Airtours hoped the Commission would give the green light for a renewed bid.

If a bid was successful, Airtours, which employs more than 1,200 people at its Helmshore and Accrington centres, would be a group carrying more than 14 million passengers a year, operating 1,200 travel agencies, flying 67 aircraft, running 26 hotels, 11 cruise ships and employing 25,000 people. It would be one of the UK's top 100 stock market firms.

First Choice Holidays has announced it has made group managing director Peter Long chief executive of the firm.

Since the departure of Francis Baron in 1996, First Choice has been without a chief executive, although Mr Long has been effectively running the group, a spokeswoman said.

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