List of airline mergers and acquisitions
This article lists airline mergers and acquisitions, with a brief history of each:
- Air India
- 2007 - Merged with Indian Airlines.[1] Kept Air India name.
- Air New Zealand
- 2000 - Acquired Ansett Australia, Ansett collapsed, proving to be more of a drain than asset.
- Air Canada
- 2000 - Acquired Canadian Airlines
- Air France
- 2004 - Merged with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, changing the company name to Air France KLM, although the two airlines still operate as separate airlines.
- Air Jamaica
- 2010 - Acquired by Caribbean Airlines
- Avianca
- 1919 - Begins as SCADTA
- 1940 - Merged with SACO, retains Avianca name
- 1994 - Merged with SAM
- 1994 - Acquired Helicol
- 2003 - Acquired ACES Colombia
- 2003 - Acquired OceanAir and VIP Ecuador
- 2008 - Acquired Tampa Cargo
- 2009 - Merged with TACA
- 2009 - Acquired AeroGal
- 2014 - Acquired AeroUnion, which continues to operate as a separate airline
- Aurora
- 2013 - Formed by merger of Aeroflot subsidiaries SAT Airlines and Vladivostok Air
- Bulgaria Air
- 2010 - Merged with Hemus Air kept the name Bulgaria Air
- Canadian Airlines
- 1987 - Formed by merger of Canadian Pacific Airlines, Eastern Provincial Airways, Nordair, and Pacific Western Airlines
- 2001 - Air Canada bought out Canadian
- Caribbean Airlines
- 2010 - Acquired Air Jamaica
- Cathay Pacific
- 2006 - Acquired full ownership over Dragonair, which continues to operate as a separate airline (rebranded to Cathay Dragon in 2016).
- Cimber Air
- 2008 - Acquired bankrupt Sterling to form Cimber Sterling.
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
- 2004 - Acquired by Air France, which changed its company name to Air France KLM, although the two airlines still operate as separate airlines.
- Loftleidir-Icelandic
- 1979 - Flugfélag Íslands and Loftleiðir merged, and the airline became known as Icelandair.
- Rossiya Airlines
- 2006 - Increases by merger with Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise
- 2016 - Increases by merger with Donavia and Orenair and re-brands
- S7 Airlines (Siberia Airlines)
- 2001 - Acquired Vnukovo Airlines and Baikal Airlines
- 2004 - Acquired Enkor
- 2005 - Re-brands from Siberia Airlines to S7 Airlines and makes Moscow-Domodedovo as the main hub
- 2008 - Acquired Perm Airlines
- TAM
- 1996 - Acquired Helisul Linhas Aéreas
- 1996 - Acquired LAPSA
- 1998 - Acquired Itapemirim Transportes Aéreos
- 2012 - TAM and LAN merged to form LATAM
United States
- AirTran Airways
- 1997 - Bought by the holding company for ValuJet Airlines, the holding company merged their ValuJet airline into AirTran thus keeping the AirTran name.
- 2010 - Bought by Southwest Airlines, AirTran fleet transferred to Southwest and thereby AirTran becomes an inactive subsidiary.
- Alaska Airlines
- 1986 - Acquired Jet America Airlines
- 1986 - Acquired Horizon Air, which continues to operate as a separate airline.
- 2018 - Acquired Virgin America. The merger made Alaska a dominant U.S. carrier in the West Coast.[2]
- America West Airlines
- 2005 - Acquired US Airways
- American Airlines
- 1971 - Acquired Trans Caribbean Airways
- 1987 - Acquired Air California
- 1990 - Acquired the Eastern Airlines' route network from Miami to Latin America and the Caribbean
- 1997 - Acquired Reno Air
- 2001 - Acquired Trans World Airlines
- 2013 - Acquired US Airways. Currently the world's largest carrier.
- 2019 - Purchased a 3% stake in China Southern Airlines.
- Braniff International Airways
- 1982 - South American routes was purchased by Eastern Airlines
- Continental Airlines
- 1934 - Begins as Varney Speed Lines
- 1982 - Acquired Texas International Airlines
- 1987 - Acquired People Express, Frontier, and New York Air
- 1987 - Acquired PBA and Britt Airways from People Express merger / created Continental Express
- 2010 - Merged into United Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- 1924 - Started as Huff Daland Dusters
- 1928 - Huff Daland Dusters was purchased by C.E. Woolman and renamed Delta Air Service after the Mississippi Delta
- 1953 - Purchased the Chicago and Southern Air Lines, and flew under the name Delta C&S for the next two years
- 1972 - Purchased Northeast Airlines
- 1984 - Established the Delta Connection (ASA, Comair, Skywest, ...)
- 1987 - Merged with Western Airlines
- 1991 - Purchase of Pan Am's European routes, and acquired Pan Am's shuttle, forming what is today Delta Shuttle
- 1996 - Delta Express began service, ended November 2003
- 2003 - Song began service, ended May 2006
- 2010 - Merged with Northwest Airlines, was world's largest carrier at time of merger, keeping the Delta Air Lines brand.
- 2017 - Bought 10% of Air France–KLM
- 2017 - Bought 32% of Aeromexico to total a stake of 49% ownership
- 2020 - Bought 20% of LATAM Airlines Group
- Eastern Airlines
- 1986 - Purchased by Texas International, but continues to operate separately as Eastern Airlines
- 1990 - American Airlines purchased Eastern's routes from Miami to Latin America and the Caribbean
- Frontier Airlines
- 2007 - Entered service agreement with Republic Airways
- 2008 - Declared bankruptcy, then purchased by Republic
- 2009 - Still under the Frontier name, Republic mandates a merger between Frontier and Midwest Airlines
- 2013 - Enter a contract with Indigo, beginning a transition into an ULCC
- Hughes Airwest
- 1968 - Pacific Air Lines (originally Southwest Airways), Bonanza Air Lines, and West Coast Airlines merged to form Air West
- 1970 - Howard Hughes purchased Air West and renamed it Hughes Airwest
- 1980 - Merged into Republic Airlines
- National Airlines
- 1979 - Merged with Pan Am
- Northeast Airlines
- 1972 - Merged into Delta Air Lines
- Northwest Airlines
- 1916 - Founded by Col. Lewis Patenaude, under the name Northwest Airways
- 1927 - Began flying passengers
- 1949 - With its new routes to the far east, re-branded itself as Northwest Orient Airlines
- 1986 - Purchased Republic Airlines, and dropped the word Orient from its brand name
- 1993 - Began transatlantic partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, dubbed as "Worldwide Reliability".
- 2008 - Merged into Delta Air Lines. Became world's largest airline by passenger traffic in 2008 under the Delta name.
- Ozark Airlines
- 1943 - Ozark Air Lines is founded, then ceases operations in late 1940s
- 1944 - Parks Air Transport (Parks Air Lines) is founded
- 1950 - Ozark Air Lines resumes operations
- 1950 - Purchased Parks Air Transport (Parks Air Lines)
- 1986 - Merged into Trans World Airlines
- Pan Am
- 1928 - Merged with Aviation Corporation of the Americas/American International Airways
- 1928 - Founded and formed by the merger of Atlantic, Gulf, and Caribbean Airways
- 1950 - Merged with American Overseas Airlines
- 1979 - Merged with National Airlines
- 1985 - United Airlines Purchased Pan Am's entire Pacific Division
- 1990 - United Airlines Purchased Pan Am routes to London Heathrow Airport
- 1991 - United Airlines Purchased Pan Am's entire Latin American Division
- 1991 - Delta Air Lines purchased Pan Am's European routes, and acquired Pan Am's Shuttle
- Republic Airlines (Republic Airlines 1979-1986)
- 1979 - Founded and formed by the merger of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways
- 1944 - Southern Airways is founded
- 1944 - Wisconsin Central Airlines is founded
- 1952 - Wisconsin Central Airlines changes name to North Central Airlines
- 1980 - Acquired Hughes Airwest
- 1986 - Merged into Northwest Orient to form Northwest Airlines
- Republic Airways Holdings
- 2005 - Acquired Shuttle America.
- 2009 - Acquired Midwest Airlines.
- 2009 - Acquired Frontier Airlines.
- Southwest Airlines
- 1985 - Acquired Muse Air
- 1993 - Acquired Morris Air
- 2008 - Acquired certain assets of bankrupt ATA Airlines
- 2010 - Acquired AirTran Airways
- Trans World Airlines
- 1925 - First Incorporate as Western Air Express
- 1927 - Maddux Air Lines is founded
- 1927 - Standard Air Lines is founded
- 1928 - Transcontinental Air Transport is founded
- 1929 - Maddux Air Lines merges with Transcontinental Air Transport
- 1930 - Standard Air Lines merges with Western Air Express
- 1930 - Western Air Express merges with Transcontinental Air Transport, rebranded itself as Transcontinental & Western Air, T&WA, later changed name to Trans World Airlines, TWA
- 1934 - Western Air Express broke off from Transcontinental & Western Air, T&WA and briefly changed its name to General Air Lines, returning to the name Western Air Express after several months
- 1986 - Purchased Ozark Air Lines
- 2001 - Merged into American Airlines
- United Airlines
- 1926 - Founded as Varney Air Lines
- 1931 - Purchased National Air Transport and Pacific Air Transport
- 1961 - Merged with Capital Airlines
- 1985 - Purchased Pan Am's entire Pacific Division
- 1990 - Purchased Pan Am routes to London Heathrow Airport
- 1991 - Purchased Pan Am's entire Latin American Division
- 2012 - Acquired Continental Airlines. Was the world's largest carrier at the time of merger.
- 2014 - After taking over Continental, United closed the hub at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport for the second time.
- US Airways
- 1938 - Started as All American Aviation Company, renamed All American Airlines and then Allegheny Airlines
- 1957 - Changed name to Allegheny Airlines
- 1968 - Purchased Lake Central Airlines
- 1972 - Purchased Mohawk Airlines
- 1979 - Changed name to USAir
- 1988 - Purchased Pacific Southwest Airlines
- 1989 - Purchased Piedmont Airlines
- 1992 - Operates former Trump Shuttle for banks, renamed by banks as Shuttle, Inc, dba USAir Shuttle
- 1997 - Changed name to US Airways
- 1997 - Purchased former Trump Shuttle, now Shuttle, Inc from Banks, dba US Airways Shuttle
- 1998 - Launches low-fare carrier MetroJet
- 2000 - Merges US Airways Shuttle into US Airways
- 2001 - Dissolves low-fare carrier MetroJet
- 2005 - Acquired America West Airlines
- 2013 - Merged into American Airlines
- Virgin America
- 2016 - Merged into Alaska Airlines. The merger made Alaska a dominant U.S. carrier in the West Coast.
- Western Airlines
- 1925 - First incorporated as Western Air Express by Harris Hanshue
- 1926 - Western's first flight took place
- 1928 - Reincorporated as Western Air Express Corp.
- 1930 - Purchased Standard Airlines (subsidiary of Aero Corp. of Ca. founded in 1926). WAE with Fokker aircraft merged with Transcontinental Air Transport T-A-T to form Transcontinental & Western Air T&WA.
- 1934 - Western Air Express broke off from Transcontinental & Western Air T&WA and briefly changed its name to General Air Lines, returning to the name Western Air Express after several months
- 1941 - Western Air Express changed its name to Western Air Lines, which was later altered to Western Airlines
- 1967 - merged with Pacific Northern Airlines
- 1987 - Merged into Delta Air Lines
- AirTran Airways
- Lufthansa
- 1955 - Created Deutsche Flugdienst GmbH in conjunction with other companies and subsequently owned 25.81% of it
- 1959 - Increased its shares in Deutsche Flugdienst to 95.5%. In 1961 Deutsche Flugdienst bought "Condor-Luftreederei“ renaming itself then "Condor Flugdienst GmbH"
- 1989 - Created SunExpress Airlines as a joint venture with Turkish Airlines
- 1995 - Transferred SunExpress shares over to Condor
- 1999 - Purchased 26% of Air Dolomiti
- 2003 - upped its stake to 51.9% (April) and then 100% (November) of Air Dolomiti
- 2006 - Lufthansa sold its remaining 50% stake in Condor to KarstadtQuelle AG
- 2007 - In conjunction with the sale of Condor, LH took back its shares of SunExpress
- 2005-2007 - Purchased Swiss Int'l Airlines
- 2008 - Purchased Austrian Airlines
- 2008 - Purchased BMI (Sold in 2011 to IAG (British Airways))
- 2008 - Acquired 45% of Brussels Airlines
- 2008 - Purchased 19% of Jetblue
- 2009 - Acquired 100% of Germanwings
- 2016 - Acquired remaining 55% of Brussels Airlines
- 2017 - Acquired Air Berlin
- British Airways and Iberia
- 2010 - International Airlines Group was formed by the merger of two airlines. Both carriers continued to operate under separate brand.
See also
- List of airline holding companies - the actual enterprises and business entities which do the acquisitions and mergers.
References
- Choudhury, Gaurav; Saha, Samiran. "Air-India, Indian Airlines merger complete". Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times. Retrieved Aug 24, 2007.
- Schroder, Teri (15 December 2016). "Alaska Airlines And Virgin America Begin Process Of Merging". thecerbatgem.com.
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