American Airlines may be trying to buy a 15% stake in Central America's airline conglomerate Grupo Taca, according to unconfirmed reports.
A source close to Grupo Taca told America Economia, a Latin American publication, that American has signed a letter of intent with the group to buy a 15% stake. American will not confirm the report, but Daniel Ratti, president of TacaPeru, told a Lima newspaper he "would not discard the possibility" of such a deal. Ratti adds that Grupo Taca "has not wanted to make it public".
Grupo Taca, a conglomerate of five Central American carriers, owns 49% of TacaPeru. Grupo Taca itself has fuelled speculation.
Claiming that "nothing has taken shape," a Taca spokesman adds that the group's codeshare agreement with American, "does not exclude the possibility of a capital participation by American in the company".
TACA and American applied for anti-trust immunity to extend their alliance in March.
Source: Airline Business
