Air Transport

SkyTeam partners Air France and Delta Air Lines have signed a joint-venture agreement, covering a number of transatlantic routes, which extends the airline’s current immunised partnership.

The joint venture will come into force in April next year and initially apply to all transatlantic services between Air France’s and Delta’s hubs, plus services operated by both airlines between London Heathrow and US destinations.

All of the routes will support a codeshare by the non-operating airline. Several other routes linking Europe and North America will be integrated into the joint venture from 2010.

Speaking during a briefing in Paris 17 October, Delta Air Lines chief executive Richard Anderson said: “The opportunity is enormous for both carriers. Now we’ll operate as a single commercial entity on joint-venture routes.”

Air France says that it expects the joint venture to generate annual revenues of $1.5 billion during the first stage and more than $8 billion when the carriers embark on the second stage.

“This agreement marks an unprecedented move to offer our customers a greater choice of routes and schedules,” says Air France chief Jean-Cyril Spinetta.

“Together we will be able to provide our customers with an outstanding transatlantic service, in terms of routes, capacity, frequencies and quality.”