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Home » Air France » Virgin Atlantic to Join Air France-KLM + Delta Joint Venture
Air FranceChina EasternDelta Air LinesKLMNewsVirgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic to Join Air France-KLM + Delta Joint Venture

Matthew Klint Posted onJuly 27, 2017November 14, 2023 3 Comments

close-up of a red and blue tail fin

Delta currently has a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic and a separate joint venture with Air France-KLM (and Alitalia). Today, the carriers announced the two JVs would merge into one. China Eastern and Delta also get a seat at the Air France-KLM table.

Here’s the news–

  • Air France-KLM will acquire Virgin Group’s 31% stake in Virgin Atlantic for £220 million
  • Virgin Atlantic will join Air France-KLM/Delta joint venture
  • Delta and China Eastern will each acquire a 10% stake in Air France-KLM within the framework of reserved capital increases totaling €751 million
    • DL and MU will each receive a seat on the AF-KL Board

In its press release, Air France-KLM offered the following rationale for the JV venture:

  • Offer customers an unrivaled proposition on transatlantic routes
  • Drive the capacity growth of the partners
  • Create an associate partner status enabling the inclusion of other players
  • Extend a partnership over a 15-year period
  • Generate significant annual synergies thanks to a new code share to/from London, sales coordination, the extended partnership and cost savings

Translation: London remains a lucrative market this allows us to better serve connecting London passengers.

Here’s Delta CEO Ed Bastian–

A dynamic global landscape means it’s more important than ever for Delta to deepen ties with our global partners to provide opportunities for mutual growth. Bringing together the strengths of Delta, Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic into a combined joint venture will create the trans-Atlantic partnership of choice for customers.

No mention that Alitalia is highly subsidized and Air France is partially state-owned.

Why Joint Ventures?

To review, joint ventures are “a commercial enterprise undertaken jointly by two or more parties that otherwise retain their distinct identities.” Two keys in JVs are anti-trust immunity and metal neutrality.

This partnership allows the Virgin Atlantic, Air France-KLM, and Delta to more effectively funnel traffic through each other’s hub. It may even lead to additional transatlantic routes from cities that would not otherwise be able to accommodate transatlantic travel.

For more on JVs, see this helpful IATA article.

China Eastern Too

Meanwhile, China Eastern will buy a seat at the table of Air France-KLM.

Air France-KLM’s stated goals–

  • Secure and reinforce Air France-KLM’s presence in the Chinese market thanks to a long-term partnership
  • Give Air France-KLM a European leadership position on Shanghai, the main business market in China
  • Improve the services for our customers
  • Enable increased cooperation in terms of the network, pricing and operational synergies

CONCLUSION

The next hurdle will be regulatory approval. But with closer cooperation will likely come enhanced frequent flyer reciprocity and other consumer benefits. Today’s the first step. As Delta explores buying a 24% stake in JET Airways, we may see JET thrown into the mix as well. Mark this as developing.

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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3 Comments

  1. shay peleg Reply
    July 27, 2017 at 3:21 pm

    This could mean sky team access at vS lounges?

    • Matt Reply
      July 27, 2017 at 3:43 pm

      Or maybe redeeming AF miles towards VS flights ? 😀

  2. David Marquette Reply
    July 27, 2017 at 3:47 pm

    the precursor to much of this was:
    n 1989 KLM acquired a 19.3% interest in Northwest Airlines. In 1991 both airlines began operating codeshare flights on the North Atlantic route. The open-sky treaty signed by the Netherlands and the USA in 1992, and the anti-trust immunity granted to KLM and Northwest in 1993, enabled the airlines to operationally evolve a joint venture. The joint venture agreement was signed in 1997.

    A year later KLM and Northwest integrated their sales activities, with Northwest taking responsibility for sales in North America and KLM in Europe. In 2009 Northwest and Delta Air Lines merged and the Northwest brand disappeared. Delta is now an important partner in the joint-venture with AIR FRANCE KLM.

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