List of airline mergers and acquisitions

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. Kept Air India name.
Air Berlin
2006 - Acquired dba
2007 - Acquired LTU International
2009 - Acquired LGW
2009 - Acquired Belair
2011 - Acquired flyNiki
2017 - Filed for insolvency
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
1990 - Acquired Air Inter, fully absorbing it into Air France in April, 1997.
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 and Helicol
2003 - Acquired ACES Colombia' routes
2003 - Acquired OceanAir and VIP Ecuador
2008 - Acquired Tampa Cargo
2009 - Merged with TACA Airlines
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
Austrian Airlines
1957 Air Austria and Austrian Airways form Austrian Airlines
2002 Merged Rheintalflug and Tyrolean Airways to Austrian Arrows
2013 Merged with Lauda Air kept name
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
1989 - Acquired Wardair
2001 - Canadian Airlines acquired by Air Canada
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 Airlines 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.
LOT Polish Airlines
1929 - Aero and Aerolot merged to form LOT Polish Airlines
LAN Airlines
1995 - Purchased Ladeco
2012 - Merged with TAM Linhas Aéreas to form LATAM Airlines Group
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 Linhas Aéreas
1996 - Acquired Helisul Linhas Aéreas
1996 - Acquired LAPSA
1998 - Acquired Itapemirim Transportes Aéreos
2012 - Merged with LAN Airlines to form LATAM Airlines Group
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.
America West Airlines
2005 - Acquired US Airways
American Airlines
1971 - Acquired Trans Caribbean Airways
1987 - Acquired Air California
1990 - Acquired the Eastern Air Lines' 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 Air Lines
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 Air Lines
1956 - merges with Colonial 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 "Wings Alliance".
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
1929 - Acquired majority of Mexicana de Aviación
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
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
Mergers
Airline mergers
Merger