Gulf Air to be taken over by British Airways?

[running rabbit]

BA-Iberia plans dozen takeovers

Monday, September 06, 2010

Chris Gray ([email protected])


British Airways and Iberia have drawn up plans to takeover 12 carriers on their way to creating the world’s largest airline group.

The dozen carriers — rumoured to include Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Air Berlin and Gulf Air — are on a shortlist drawn up after BA and Iberia initially considered 40 airlines.

There is speculation that the shortlist could also include India’s Kingfisher Airlines, and Chile’s LAN, which has itself announced plans to merge with Brazil’s TAM.

BA chief executive Willie Walsh said the expansion plan was a long-term goal that would probably not be completed until he retired.

But speaking in Mumbai at the launch of a code-sharing agreement with Kingfisher, he said creating International Airlines Group (IAG) through the merger with Iberia had been done with the intention of pursuing consolidation.

The Iberia deal and the joint venture with American Airlines were not meant to be an end in themselves, he added.

“I have sat down with Iberia and we initially looked at 40 like-minded airlines who believe that the future of the industry lies in consolidation,” he said.

“We have narrowed this down to 12. Becoming the biggest airline group in the world is not a bad ambition to have.”

The creation of IAG is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Walsh will become chief executive of IAG, and BA finance director Keith Williams will become chief executive of BA.

BA and Iberia will continue to operate as separate brands.

[Che Guevara]

C'mon Willie....

[ironbutt57]

I used to think I'd "been there, done that, and heard it all before" but guess I was wrong...:cool:

[Jetjock330]

When does GF get to play by the rules and have their own strike???:}

[borrowed light]

hahahahahahahahaha,that really is the funniest idea EVER.I should think that the last thing British Airways needs right now is to be saddled with Gulfair.Dont they have enough problems of their own?

[DesertHawk]

well this one is interesting:) for GF to be taken over by BA and company it would take a complete overhaul. On the bright side they would actually have to produce a proper rostering system and communicate like a normal business.:ok:

[boiler]

Another version:

BA's Walsh draws up shopping list of 12 airlines


September 5, 2010

According to The Telegraph:

There may be a dose of wishful thinking about such ambitious plans, but Mr Walsh has been hard at work attempting to chart the future for International Airlines Group (IAG) – the BA and Iberia holding company – as well as coping with BA's little local difficulties back home.

The list has emerged in the last few months as a result of a series of detailed conversations with Antonio Vazquez – his opposite number at Iberia – to ensure IAG is at the forefront of the next round of consolidation in an industry heading for another shake-up.

Mr Walsh would not comment on the identity of the 12 – and stressed that no approaches have yet been made. But they are understood to include Qantas, South African Airways and Finnair and at least one low cost operator, believed to be AirAsia.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph in Mumbai, Mr Walsh said conversations about targets have been ongoing for "months", with a view to ensuring that IAG's eventual structure does not preclude the takeover of other airlines.

He said that he and Mr Vazquez started with a blank sheet of paper and initially came up with a heady list of 40 takeover candidates.

From that list the boards of both airlines ruled out misfits in terms of geography and culture and those which would be to difficult to buy because of regulatory and competition hurdles.

If all goes to plan, Mr Walsh will become chief executive of IAG and Mr Vazquez chairman.

He said: "In creating IAG we want to make sure it's scaleable and attractive to other airlines…and we've tried to identify structures to put in place that will make that happen."

He said that one of the priorities is creating flexible IT platforms capable of easily accommodating expansion.

"We want to be attractive to like-minded airlines… airlines who believe in global consolidation," he said.

Although Mr Walsh stressed that IAG would not make bids for all 12, those that it does pursue will be on the basis of 100pc ownership rather than a new form of alliance that has provided a loose consolidation and protection against takeover. "It's with a view to full merger or acquisition."

Asked what shareholders would think of the shortlist, he said frankly: "I don't know," before stressing that the express intention of IAG was always to buy other airlines. "We specifically chose a name that would not restrict us."

He also dismissed concerns that global consolidation would be bad for the travelling public, saying that the various mergers that have taken place to date have not hurt competition. "If you've got a lower cost base it translates into lower fares and greater profits," he said.

Mr Walsh was speaking ahead of a meeting scheduled for today at which Unite, the union, is set to discuss a further strike ballot.

Mr Walsh said: "I don't believe Unite wants to strike," argues Walsh. "I don't believe Tony Woodley [Unite's joint general secretary] wants to."

[guntslapper]

By Fred Schumpshkin

Monday September 6, 2010

Emirates and a few management pilots have drawn up plans to takeover all the worlds carriers on their way to creating the world’s largest airline group.

The thousand carriers — rumoured to include Air Bangladesh, Garuda, Malaysian, Air New Zealand, Virgin, United, Delta and British Airways — are on a shortlist drawn up after Emirates and the management Nazis initially considered taking over the entire planet.

There is speculation that the shortlist could also include India's TATA Bus company, and Microsoft, which has itself announced plans to merge with Air India.

Emirates chief executive Failed Pilot said the expansion plan was a long-term goal that would probably not be completed until he retired, not that he was planning to. Not Ever.

But speaking in Mumbai at the launch of a new improved pilot productivity agreement with himself, he said creating Management Authoritarian Nazi Group (MAN Group) through the merger with Salt Mines Inc and Siberian Labour Camps had been done with the intention of pursuing consolidation.

The Siberian labour camp deal and the joint venture with Chuck E Cheez were not meant to be an end in themselves, he added.

“I have sat down with Chuck and we initially looked at 4000 like-minded businesses who believe that the future of the industry lies in consolidation,” he said.

“We have narrowed this down to 1200. Becoming the biggest group of management b*astards in the world is not a bad ambition to have.”

The creation of MAN Group is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Failed Pilot will become chief executive of MAN Group, and Lehmann Brothers finance director Ivor Lottacash will become chief executive of the rest of the world.

Emirates and Chuck E Cheez will continue to operate as separate brands.

[guntslapper]

The Gunt needs more movie ideas. Creativity at a low ebb due to fatigue....

[parabellum]

In the days of Gulf Aviation it was owned 25% by BOAC Overseas Companies who provided the senior management, worked very well!
(We wore BOAC uniform and were issued with a great raincoat with a thick wooly lining, perfect for the Gulf!;)).

[Panama Jack]

My observation exactly, parabellum, how interesting that history tends towards coming full-circle. It will be interesting to see how their plan for global domination pans out, although I think that consolidation and global brands is the future for our industry. On the macro-scale foreign ownership and control limits of most countries seem to be the impediment towards a healthier industry.

On a micro-scale (re: Gulf Air and Bahrain), certain powers of the Government muse about an eventual privatization of the airline. It is hard to gauge the seriousness of such statements, since I have observed a frequent pattern of pledges being made with a failure to back them up. The real threat to a privatized Gulf Air would be what level of Government interference due to "interests" the privatized carrier would face? Like overzealous parents with teen-agers leaving home, governments around the world have been unable to keep their hands off their former charges, complicating or contradicting the objective of running a sustainable business.

In any case, I would view the take-over of a privatized Gulf Air by a quality and experienced aviation company, like British Airways, as much more advantageous than being aquired by a local businessman who owns an operates some automobile dealerships and/or construction companies.