06.09.10
BA and Iberia have a shortlist of up to 12 airlines that they would like to buy or merge with once their merger deal has been completed this year. BA boss Willie Walsh did not name the airlines when making the comment in Mumbai as he unveiled a code-sharing deal with India's Kingfisher Airlines over the weekend, however they are thought to include airlines in emerging markets such as India or China as well as more established carriers.
Mr Walsh is keen to bring a group of airlines together under the umbrella of the newly-created International Airlines Group (IAG) - the holding company formed by BA and Iberia - and has previously said that the deal has been structured to allow the airlines to go on the acquisition trail once the deal is complete. He said: ‘We have looked at airlines around the world and identified those that would be attractive to us.' But he said the shortlist, from an original list of 40, was to give ‘focus’ and all 12 would not be pursued.
He said that his list of targets was drawn up based on criteria such as geography and included budget airlines. Analysts speculated that he could be interested in airlines such as Qantas, Cathay Pacific, American, LAN and South African Airways.
Mr Walsh is keen on full mergers or acquisitions rather than taking investments in other airlines. He said: ‘We want to create a platform for like-minded airlines - those who believe that consolidation is part of the answer for the industry.’
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