Flightrider, I agree with your views in your two previous posts.
It is rather a coincidence on two fronts:
51 is exactly the number of weekly slots held by BMed at Heathrow this summer.
The purchase price of £30m bears a striking similarity to the amount that bmi paid for BMed.
If this is now to be considered as a "hard" article discussing a definitive event there do seem to be contradictions within it.
BMI recently bought a British Mediterranean Airways, a BA franchise airline, for £30m. British Mediterranean flies to central Asia and Syria and Lebanon in BA colours and using BA flight codes. BA could have stopped the sale under the terms of the franchise agreement, but did not.
But a BA source today denied there was any connection between the two transactions. “The slot deal has nothing to do with British Mediterranean,” the source said
At the same time in BRU where ATWOnline has had an interview also
Open skies deal leaves bmi's network, independence up in air
In this article with a director
Parkes said he could not say if new US routes would be operated as bmi or as Lufthansa, which holds a 30%-minus-one share in the group. "I'm sure a lot of talk is going on between the shareholders," he laughed.
Regarding rumors of a possible takeover by British Airways, he said he "will not speculate on speculation," noting that Chairman Michael Bishop reiterated his desire to remain independent in several articles in the UK press.
So what is really going on at DH at the moment only SMB really knows for sure,except for Virgin,BA,SAS,LH,and any number of U.S airlines waiting and, wanting to dominate LHR to U.S routes.
MR120
