British Airways eyes Iberia
British Airways revealed in late April it had approached private equity firms about jointly making a takeover bid for Iberia. BA already owns about 10% of Iberia and says it will not make a bid for its oneworld partner. In March, after it was approached by investors linked to US private equity firm Texas Pacific, Iberia indicated it was open to potential bidders. BA initially said it had no plans to increase its 10% shareholding in Iberia. It now says any offer with a consortium would not involve BA making any additional capital investment.
Virgin Atlantic buys 787s
Virgin Atlantic Airways has placed an order for 15 Boeing 787s for delivery from 2011. The 787 will be Virgin's first twin-engined aircraft. The carrier now operates Boeing 747s and Airbus A340s and has A380s on order. The 787s will replace Virgin's A340-300s.
AirUnion becomes one
The five Russian carriers comprising the AirUnion consortium are preparing to become a single carrier. Domodedovo Airlines, KrasAir, Omskavia, Samara Airlines and Sibaviatrans were formally brought together in May through the establishment of a single joint-stock organisation. A merger is expected to be completed by the end of this year. AirUnion, which is 45% owned by the Russian government, says its members are starting to engage in joint fleet planning and network development. In April AirUnion completed its acquisition of Hungary's Malev.
Braathens rebranded
Braathens, the Norwegian operation of Scandinavian Airlines, will be branded SAS Norge from the beginning of June. Braathens, which was acquired by SAS in 2001, has been branded SAS Braathens since 2004. The name change comes as SAS completes the integration of Braathens into its own operation.
Source: Airline Business
