* Sale would follow buyout deals for eDreams, Go Voyages
* Opodo expected to make about 31 mln euros EBITDA this year
* Agent covers nine countries; listed rivals include Expedia
(Adds earlier deals, Amadeus owners, Sunday Times report)
By Quentin Webb
LONDON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Spanish travel services group Amadeus IT Holding SA is seeking a buyer for its 74 percent stake in European online travel agent Opodo, three people familiar with the matter said on Monday.
JPMorgan has been hired as an adviser, they said.
Amadeus, the travel-reservations technology company that returned to the public market in April, has controlled Opodo since 2004 but does not view the holding as strategic.
Opodo competes with U.S. rivals such as Expedia Inc, Priceline.Com Inc and Orbitz Worldwide Inc.
Its first-half earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 34 percent to 17.2 million euros ($22.5 million), on revenues of 53.7 million.
The potential deal follows two private equity purchases of European travel agencies earlier this year: TA Associates sold Barcelona-based eDreams to Permira in a deal the Financial Times said was worth 250-300 million euros, and AXA Private Equity took a majority stake in French group Go Voyages.
Amadeus would not comment. Opodo could not be reached for comment nor could JPMorgan.
Despite its flotation earlier this year, Amadeus is still owned primarily by five shareholders, with just 31.9 percent of its shares in free float as of July 9.
Private equity firms Cinven and BC Partners own 17.36 percent each, Air France 15.22 percent, Iberia Lineas Aereas de Espana SA 9 percent, and Deutsche Lufthansa AG holds 7.61 percent.
On Sept. 5 Britain's Sunday Times reported Amadeus had held preliminary talks with banks about selling Opodo but said no banks had been picked as advisers. (Reporting by Quentin Webb; Additional reporting by Simon Meads in London and Judy MacInnes in Madrid; Editing by Greg Mahlich and Dan Lalor) ($1 = 0.7636 euro)