Quote: "
Looks like Delta Air Lines is trying to buy Singapore Airline's 49pc stake in Virgin now which would open them up to joining the Sky Team Global Alliance.
Delta plots to take control of Virgin Atlantic - Telegraph"
Does the 51% majority shareholder have any say in who the minority 49% shareholder sells to, or can SQ just sell to anyone, whether Branson approves or not?
Are there any bi-lateral agreements between the UK and US about foreign ownership of airlines, and percentages thereof?
It is likely to be about LHR slots so another reason to expand LHR and stop the (non) availibility of slots being such an issue
If DL got 49% and and AF/KL got the rest, it would almost certainly be BD all over again: asset stripping of slots while VS dies a slow death being progressively robbed of its routes with the slots are reallocated to DL, AF and KL.
That said, AF made a horlicks of the LHR-LAX route, so that may deter them from operating North American routes from LHR. Maybe there is scope for South American routes as there's little competition, but they are already push those pax through their hubs at CDG and AMS. There maybe scope for DL to do more flights to their USA hubs, ATL, JFK, etc..