Are There Likely To Be Major European Airline Takeovers In The Near Future?

Airline takeovers are very likely to occur in the near future and a number of European airlines will be effected by this trend. The largest of these national flag carriers potentially up for grabs is Italy's Alitalia. Airline unions and some Italian politicians have been fighting tooth and nail to stop any privatization efforts, but the government is now more likely than ever to let go of the national airline, which has been in the red for years. Russia's Aeroflot has apparently expressed interest in Alitalia, as has the Texas Pacific Group (TPG). TPG has also shown interest in buying Iberia, Spain's national carrier.

In addition to Alitalia and Iberia, UK-based BMI might just also find itself taken over British Airways, although BA has not confirmed that a possible deal might be in the works and called the BMI takeover notion "speculation."

With Malév Hungarian Airlines recently bought up by AirBridge, an affiliate of Russia's AiRUnion, there are reports LOT, the Polish national airline, and Austrian Airlines may be bought up as well by major foreign investors.

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