ID :
80704
Sat, 09/19/2009 - 06:21
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/80704
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American Airlines, British Airways, Qantas eye aid to JAL: source
TOKYO, Sept. 18 Kyodo -
American Airlines Inc., British Airways Plc and Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd.
have jointly proposed to Japan Airlines Corp. broad support measures including
investment for the struggling company, sources familiar with the matter said
Friday.
The move is likely aimed at blocking Japan's top airline from accepting a
capital injection from Delta Air Lines Inc., since all four carriers are
members of the ''oneworld'' global airline alliance while Delta belongs to the
rival SkyTeam grouping.
In addition to capital investment led by American Airlines, the three airlines
also offered to review the number of routes in the Asia-Pacific region
partially through an expansion of a code-sharing arrangement, the sources said.
But British Airways and Qantas Airways themselves are not expected to make any
investment and instead may help JAL in raising efficiency through consolidation
and elimination of operating bases, they added.
American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp., initially offered to expand its
alliance with JAL through an investment on its own.
But it decided to team up with two other ''oneworld'' members after Delta, the
world's biggest carrier, proposed an aid package closely coordinated with the
Air France-KLM Group and Korean Air, both members of the same alliance.
Earlier in the week, JAL President Haruka Nishimatsu said he wants to conclude
the talks for capital tie-ups with foreign carriers by mid-October, but the
launch of a new government led by the Democratic Party of Japan has clouded the
direction of the negotiations.
New transport minister Seiji Maehara has said he will review JAL's business
improvement plan, supervised by an expert panel set up under the previous
administration, throwing JAL's recovery schedule into disarray.
Under a draft of its plan, the company said it would cut 6,800 employees, or
around 14 percent of its group workforce, and scrap a total of 50 domestic and
international routes over the three years through March 2012.
The loss-making airline plans to raise around 100 billion yen by allotting
shares to client firms as well as through investment from foreign carriers.
==Kyodo
American Airlines Inc., British Airways Plc and Australia's Qantas Airways Ltd.
have jointly proposed to Japan Airlines Corp. broad support measures including
investment for the struggling company, sources familiar with the matter said
Friday.
The move is likely aimed at blocking Japan's top airline from accepting a
capital injection from Delta Air Lines Inc., since all four carriers are
members of the ''oneworld'' global airline alliance while Delta belongs to the
rival SkyTeam grouping.
In addition to capital investment led by American Airlines, the three airlines
also offered to review the number of routes in the Asia-Pacific region
partially through an expansion of a code-sharing arrangement, the sources said.
But British Airways and Qantas Airways themselves are not expected to make any
investment and instead may help JAL in raising efficiency through consolidation
and elimination of operating bases, they added.
American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp., initially offered to expand its
alliance with JAL through an investment on its own.
But it decided to team up with two other ''oneworld'' members after Delta, the
world's biggest carrier, proposed an aid package closely coordinated with the
Air France-KLM Group and Korean Air, both members of the same alliance.
Earlier in the week, JAL President Haruka Nishimatsu said he wants to conclude
the talks for capital tie-ups with foreign carriers by mid-October, but the
launch of a new government led by the Democratic Party of Japan has clouded the
direction of the negotiations.
New transport minister Seiji Maehara has said he will review JAL's business
improvement plan, supervised by an expert panel set up under the previous
administration, throwing JAL's recovery schedule into disarray.
Under a draft of its plan, the company said it would cut 6,800 employees, or
around 14 percent of its group workforce, and scrap a total of 50 domestic and
international routes over the three years through March 2012.
The loss-making airline plans to raise around 100 billion yen by allotting
shares to client firms as well as through investment from foreign carriers.
==Kyodo
