List of airline mergers and acquisitions

This article lists airline mergers and acquisitions, with a brief history of each:

  1. Air Berlin
    • 2006 - Acquired dba
    • 2007 - Acquired HLX
    • 2007 - Acquired LTU
    • 2009 - Acquired LGW
    • 2009 - Acquired Belair
    • 2011 - Acquired flyNiki
  2. Air New Zealand
    • 2000 - Acquired Ansett Australia, Ansett collapsed, proving to be more of a drain than asset.
  3. Air Canada
  4. Air France
  5. Air Jamaica
  6. Air West
    • 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
  7. AirTran Airways
  8. Alaska Airlines
  9. America West Airlines
    • 2005 - Merged with bankrupt US Airways, retaining the US Airways name.
  10. American Airlines
  11. Avianca
  12. Braniff International Airways
    • 1982 - Eastern purchased Braniff's South American routes
  13. Bulgaria Air
    • 2010 - Merged with Hemus Air kept the name Bulgaria Air
  14. Canadian Airlines
  15. Caribbean Airlines
  16. Cathay Pacific
    • 2006 - Acquired full ownership over Dragonair, which continues to operate as a separate airline.
  17. Cimber Air
  18. Continental Airlines
    • 1934 - Begins as Varney Speed Lines
    • 1982 - Acquired by Texas International / Merges, retains Continental name
    • 1987 - merges with People Express, Frontier, and New York Air
    • 1987 - Acquires PBA and Britt Airways from People Express merger / creates Continental Express
    • 2010-2012 - Merged with United Airlines, kept United name.
  19. 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
    • 2008-2010 - Merged with Northwest Airlines, was world's largest carrier at time of merger, kept Delta name
  20. Eastern Airlines
    • 1986 - Purchased by Texas International, but continues to operate separately as Eastern Airlines
    • 1991 - American Airlines purchased Eastern's routes from Miami to Latin America and the Caribbean
  21. Hughes Airwest
    • 1970 - Howard Hughes purchased Air West and renamed it Hughes Airwest
    • 1980 - Republic Airlines bought out Hughes Airwest
  22. 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.
  23. LOT Polish Airlines
    • 1929 - Aero and Aerolot merged to form LOT Polish Airlines
  24. LAN
    • 2012 - LAN and TAM merged to form LATAM
  25. National Airlines
    • 1979 - Merged with Pan Am
  26. Northeast Airlines
    • 1972 - Delta purchased Northeast Airlines
  27. 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
    • 2008-2010 - Merged with Delta. Became world's largest airline by passenger traffic in 2008 under the Delta name.
  28. Ozark Airlines
  29. 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 - Delta Air Lines purchased Pan Am's European routes, and acquired Pan Am's Shuttle
  30. Republic Airlines (Republic Airlines 1979-1986)
  31. Republic Airways Holdings
  32. SkyWest Airlines
  33. Southwest Airlines
  34. Trans World Airlines
  35. United Airlines
  36. US Airways
  37. 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 - Delta merged with Western Airlines (kept Delta name)
  38. 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
  39. Loftleidir-Icelandic
  40. British Airways and Iberia

See also

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