This article lists airline mergers and acquisitions, with a brief history of each: #

Air India Air India is the flag carrier airline of India, headquartered at New Delhi. It is owned by Talace Private Limited, a Special-Purpose Vehicle (SPV) of Tata Sons, after Air India Limited's former owner, the Government of India, completed the ...

#*2007 - Merged with

Indian Airlines Indian Airlines was a division of Air India Limited. It was based in Delhi and focused primarily on domestic routes, along with several international services to neighbouring countries in Asia. It was a division of Air India Limited after m ...

. Kept Air India name. #

Air Berlin Air Berlin PLC & Co. Luftverkehrs KG (), branded as airberlin or airberlin.com was a major German airline. At its peak, it was Germany's second-largest airline, as well as Europe's tenth-largest airline in terms of passengers carried. It was h ...

#*2006 - Acquired dba #*2007 - Acquired

LTU International LTU, legally incorporated as ''LTU Lufttransport-Unternehmen GmbH'', was a German leisure airline headquartered in Düsseldorf. It operated medium and long-haul routes and maintained hubs at Düsseldorf Airport, Munich Airport and Berlin Tegel Ai ...

#*2009 - Acquired LGW #*2009 - Acquired Belair #*2011 - Acquired flyNiki #*2017 - Filed for insolvency #

Air New Zealand Air New Zealand Limited () is the flag carrier airline of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 20 domestic and 30 international destinations in 18 countries, primarily around and within the Pacif ...

#*2000 - Acquired

Ansett Australia Ansett Australia was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne, Australia. The airline flew domestically within Australia and from the 1990s to destinations in Asia. After operating for 65 years, the airline was placed into admini ...

, Ansett collapsed, proving to be more of a drain than asset. #

Air Canada Air Canada is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada by the size and passengers carried. Air Canada maintains its headquarters in the borough of Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec. The airline, founded in 1937, provides scheduled an ...

#*2000 - Acquired

Canadian Airlines Canadian Airlines International Ltd. (stylized as Canadi›n Airlines or Canadi‹n Airlines, or simply Canadian) was a Canadian airline that operated from 1987 until 2001. The airline was Canada's second largest airline after Air Canada, carr ...

Air France Air France (; formally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. It is a subsidiary of the Air France–KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global a ...

#*1990 - Acquired

Air Inter Air Inter (Lignes Aériennes Intérieures) was a semi-public French domestic airline. Before its merger with Air France, the airline was headquartered in Paray-Vieille-Poste, Essonne.''World Airline Directory''. Flight International. 26 March-1 Apr ...

, fully absorbing it into Air France in April, 1997. #*2004 - Merged with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, changing the company name to

Air France KLM The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

, although the two airlines still operate as separate airlines. #

Air Jamaica Air Jamaica was the national airline of Jamaica. It was owned and operated by Caribbean Airlines from May 2011 until the cessation of operations in 2015. Caribbean Airlines Limited, headquartered in Piarco, Trinidad and Tobago, had administrati ...

#*2010 - Acquired by

Caribbean Airlines Caribbean Airlines Limited is the state-owned airline and flag carrier of Trinidad and Tobago. The airline is also the flag carrier of Jamaica and Guyana. Headquartered in Iere House in Piarco, the airline operates flights to the Caribbean, ...

Avianca Avianca S.A. ( acronym in Spanish for ''Aerovias del Continente Americano S.A.'', "Airways of the American Continent") is a Colombian airline. It has been the flag carrier of Colombia since December 5, 1919, when it was initially registered und ...

#*1919 - Begins as

SCADTA Sociedad Colombo Alemana de Transportes Aéreos german: Deutsch-Kolumbianische Luftverkehrsgesellschaft), or SCADTA, was the world's second airline, and the first airline in Latin America, operating from 1919 until World War II. After the war, SCA ...

#*1940 - Merged with SACO, retains Avianca name #*1994 - Merged with SAM and

Helicol Helicol S.A. (Spanish acronym: ''Helicopteros Nacionales de Colombia'') is a helicopter operator based at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia. It is a subsidiary airline of Avianca. History Helicol was founded on July 3, 1955, ...

#*2003 - Acquired ACES Colombia' routes #*2003 - Acquired

OceanAir Oceanair was a regional airline that was based at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It competed on domestic routes with Prinair; and on routes to the Virgin Islands with Prinair and with Aero Virgin Islands; ...

and

VIP Ecuador Vuelos Internos Privados S.A. (''VIP'' for short) was an Ecuadorian regional airline based at the Old Mariscal Sucre International Airport and headquartered in Quito, Ecuador. It operated domestic and regional services. The airline was a subsidiar ...

#*2008 - Acquired Tampa Cargo #*2009 - Merged with

TACA Airlines Transportes Aereos del Continente Americano, (''Air Transports of the American Continent'', known and branded formerly as TACA International), operating as Avianca El Salvador, is an airline owned by Kingsland Holdings based in El Salvador. As ...

#*2009 - Acquired AeroGal #*2014 - Acquired AeroUnion, which continues to operate as a separate airline #

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

#*2013 - Formed by merger of Aeroflot subsidiaries

SAT Airlines OJSC "SAT Airlines — Sakhalinskie Aviatrassy" (russian: Сахалинские Авиатрассы), commonly known as SAT Airlines, was an airline based in Sakhalin, Russia. It provided scheduled regional air services in Russia's Far East an ...

and

Vladivostok Air JSC Vladivostok Air (also Vladivostok Avia; russian: link=no, ОАО Владивосток Авиа) was an independent airline with its head office at the airport in Artyom, Primorski Krai, Russia. In 2011, it was reacquired by Aeroflot. D ...

Austrian Airlines Austrian Airlines AG, often shortened to Austrian, is the flag carrier of Austria and a subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. The airline is headquartered on the grounds of Vienna International Airport in Schwechat where it also maintains its ...

#*1957 Air Austria and Austrian Airways form Austrian Airlines #*2002 Merged Rheintalflug and Tyrolean Airways to Austrian arrows #*2013 Merged with

Lauda Air Lauda Air Luftfahrt GmbH, branded as Lauda Air, was an Austrian airline headquartered at Vienna International Airport in Schwechat. It was owned by Niki Lauda (1949–2019) during much of its existence, later becoming a charter airline subsidi ...

kept name # Bulgaria Air #*2010 - Merged with

Hemus Air Hemus Air ( Bulgarian title: Хемус Ер) was an airline based in Sofia, Bulgaria. It operated scheduled domestic and international services from Sofia and Varna, as well as charter, cargo and air ambulance services. Its main base was Sofia Ai ...

kept the name Bulgaria Air #

#*1987 - Formed by merger of

Canadian Pacific Airlines Canadian Pacific Air Lines was a Canadian airline that operated from 1942 to 1987. It operated under the name CP Air from 1968 to 1986. Headquartered at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, it served domestic Canadian ...

Eastern Provincial Airways Eastern Provincial Airways, also known as EPA, was an airline that operated in Atlantic and eastern Canada. At its peak, the carrier operated jet service with Boeing 737-200 aircraft connecting many communities that today only have scheduled p ...

Nordair Nordair was a Quebec-based airline in Canada founded in 1947 from the merger of Boreal Airways and Mont Laurier Aviation. History The airline operated from the 1940s to the 1980s. Initially, most of its business was international and transatla ...

, and

Pacific Western Airlines Pacific Western Airlines Ltd (PWA) was an airline that operated scheduled flights throughout western Canada and charter services around the world from the 1950s through the 1980s. It was headquartered at Vancouver International Airport in Ri ...

#*1989 - Acquired

Wardair Wardair Canada was a privately run Canadian airline, founded by Max Ward in 1952 under the name Wardair Ltd, before formally changing its name to "Wardair Canada" in 1976. The airline was acquired by and folded into Canadian Airlines in 1989. ...

#*2001 - Canadian Airlines acquired by

#*2010 - Acquired

# Cathay Pacific #*2006 - Acquired full ownership over

Dragonair Hong Kong Dragon Airlines Limited (), also known as Cathay Dragon () and Dragonair, was a Hong Kong-based international regional airline, with its corporate headquarters and main hub at Hong Kong International Airport. In the final year be ...

, which continues to operate as a separate airline (rebranded to Cathay Dragon in 2016). #

Cimber Air Cimber may refer to: * Lucius Tillius Cimber (fl. 44 BC), ancient Roman governor, one of the assassins of Julius Caesar * Cimber Sterling, Danish airline * Cimber (airline), Danish airline, established in 2012 * Adam Cimber (born 1990), American p ...

#*2008 - Acquired bankrupt Sterling Airlines to form Cimber Sterling. # KLM Royal Dutch Airlines #*2004 - Acquired by

, which changed its company name to

, although the two airlines still operate as separate airlines. # Loftleidir-Icelandic #*1979 - Flugfélag Íslands and

Loftleiðir Loftleiðir HF, internationally known as Icelandic Airlines (abbreviated IAL) or Loftleiðir Icelandic, was a private Icelandic airline headquartered on the grounds of Reykjavík Airport in Reykjavík, which operated mostly trans-atlantic flig ...

merged, and the airline became known as Icelandair. # LOT Polish Airlines #*1929 -

Aero Aero is a Greek prefix relating to flight and air. In British English, it is used as an adjective related to flight (e.g., as a shortened substitute for aeroplane). Aero, Ærø, or Aeros may refer to: Aeronautics Airlines and companies * Aero ...

and

Aerolot Aerolot (until 1925 Aerolloyd) was a Polish airline. Created in 1922, it was the first regular airline in Poland. Throughout its existence, the airline attained a 100 percent safety record. Nationalised in 1928, it became the core of LOT Polish ...

merged to form LOT Polish Airlines #

LAN Airlines LATAM Airlines Chile (formerly LAN Airlines and LAN-Chile) is an airline based in Santiago, Chile, one of the founders of LATAM Airlines Group, Latin America's largest airline holding company. The main hub is Arturo Merino Benítez Internationa ...

#*1995 - Purchased Ladeco #*2012 - Merged with

TAM Linhas Aéreas LATAM Airlines Brasil, formerly TAM Linhas Aéreas, is the Brazilian brand of LATAM Airlines Group and one of the largest airlines in the country. According to the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC), between January and December 201 ...

to form

LATAM Airlines Group LATAM Airlines Group S.A. is an airline holding company headquartered in Santiago, Chile. It is considered the largest airline company in Latin America with subsidiaries in Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Peru. The company filed for ...

Rossiya Airlines Rossiya Airlinesrossiya-airlines.com - About us
retrieved 2016-09-19 ( ...

#*2006 - Increases by merger with Pulkovo Aviation Enterprise #*2016 - Increases by merger with

Donavia JSC "Donavia" (russian: ОАО «Донавиа»), also known as Aeroflot-Don (russian: ОАО «Аэрофлот-Дон») between 2000–2009, was an Aeroflot subsidiary airline based in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Its main bases were Rostov-on-D ...

and

Orenair Orenburg Airlines or JSC Orenair (russian: Оренбургские авиалинии) was a Russian airline with its head office on the property of Orenburg Tsentralny Airport in Orenburg. It operated domestic passenger services and inclusive ...

and re-brands #

S7 Airlines S7 Airlines, legally JSC Siberia Airlines (russian: АО «Авиакомпания "Сибирь"», "АО Aviakompania Sibir"), is an airline headquartered in Ob, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia, with offices in Moscow. As of 2008, it was Russia's ...

(Siberia Airlines) #*2001 - Acquired

Vnukovo Airlines Vnukovo Airlines (russian: Внуковские авиалинии or ''Vnukovskie Aviallnii'') was a Russian airline which had its corporate headquarters at Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow. It was created as a spin-off from the Vnukovo Ai ...

and

Baikal Airlines OJSC "Baikal Airlines" (russian: ОАО «Авиакомпания «Байкал») was an airline based in Irkutsk, Russia. It was founded in 1991 and liquidated in 2001. Fleet The Baikal Airlines fleet included Antonov An-24, Antonov An-26 a ...

#*2004 - Acquired

Enkor Enkor (full name is ''Joint Stock Company (JSC) Enkor'') was an airline based in Moscow, Russia. It operated scheduled international passenger services and provided technical aircraft maintenance. Its main bases were Domodedovo International Airpo ...

#*2005 - Re-brands from Siberia Airlines to S7 Airlines and makes Moscow-Domodedovo as the main hub #*2008 - Acquired

Perm Airlines Perm Airlines (Russian: Пермские авиалинии) was an airline based in Perm, Russia. It operated domestic and international scheduled and charter services within Russia and the CIS. Its main base was Bolshoye Savino Airport, Perm. ...

#*1996 - Acquired Helisul Linhas Aéreas #*1996 - Acquired LAPSA #*1998 - Acquired Itapemirim Transportes Aéreos #*2012 - Merged with

to form

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

** AirTran Airways *** 1997 - Bought by the holding company for

ValuJet Airlines ValuJet Airlines, later known as AirTran Airlines after joining forces with AirTran Airways, was an ultra low-cost U.S. airline, headquartered in unincorporated Clayton County, Georgia, that operated regularly scheduled domestic and interna ...

, the holding company merged their ValuJet airline into AirTran thus keeping the AirTran name. *** 2010 - Bought by Southwest Airlines, AirTran fleet transferred to Southwest and thereby AirTran becomes an inactive subsidiary. **

Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines is a major American airline headquartered in SeaTac, Washington, within the Seattle metropolitan area. It is the sixth largest airline in North America when measured by fleet size, scheduled passengers carried, and the num ...

*** 1986 - Acquired

Jet America Airlines Jet America Airlines was an airline that operated domestic flights in the United States between 1981 and 1987. It was headquartered in Signal Hill, California, near Long Beach. History Jet America acquired its name from the existing Jet Ame ...

*** 1986 - Acquired

Horizon Air Horizon Air Industries, Inc., operating as Horizon Air, is an American regional airline based in SeaTac, Washington, United States. Horizon Air and its sister carrier Alaska Airlines are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, and all Horizon-opera ...

, which continues to operate as a separate airline. *** 2018 - Acquired

Virgin America Virgin America Inc. was a low-cost U.S. airline that operated from 2007 until 2018, when it was acquired by Alaska Airlines. The airline primarily focused on operating low-fare service between cities on the West Coast and other major metropol ...

. The merger made Alaska a dominant U.S. carrier in the West Coast. **

America West Airlines America West Airlines was a major American airline, founded in 1981, with service commencing in 1983, and having reached US$1 billion in annual revenue in 1989, headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. At the time of its acquisition of US Airways, Americ ...

*** 2005 - Acquired

US Airways US Airways (formerly USAir) was a major United States airline that operated from 1937 until its merger with American Airlines in 2015. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon ...

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

*** 1971 - Acquired

Trans Caribbean Airways Trans Caribbean Airways was a United States airline owned by O. Roy Chalk. Its hub was San Juan, Puerto Rico. Founded in 1945, it was acquired by American Airlines in 1971. Its headquarters was located at 714 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, Ne ...

*** 1987 - Acquired Air California *** 1990 - Acquired the Eastern Air Lines' route network from Miami to Latin America and the Caribbean *** 1997 - Acquired

Reno Air Reno Air was a scheduled passenger airline headquartered in Reno, Nevada, United States. Reno Air provided service from its hubs at Reno/Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada, San Jose International Airport in San Jose, California and La ...

*** 2001 - Acquired Trans World Airlines *** 2013 - Acquired

. Currently the world's largest carrier. *** 2019 - Purchased a 3% stake in

China Southern Airlines China Southern Airlines Company Limited is an airline headquartered in Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province and is the largest airline in China. Established on 1 July 1988 following the restructuring of the CAAC Airlines that acqu ...

. ** Braniff International Airways *** 1982 - South American routes was purchased by Eastern Air Lines ** Continental Airlines *** 1934 - Begins as

Varney Speed Lines Varney Air Lines was an airline company that started service on April 6, 1926, as an air-mail carrier. Formed by Walter Varney, the airline was based in Boise, Idaho, United States. The airline is one of the predecessors of United Airlines. Hi ...

*** 1982 - Acquired

Texas International Airlines Texas International Airlines Inc. was a United States airline, known from 1940 until 1947 as Aviation Enterprises, until 1969 as Trans-Texas Airways (TTa), and as Texas International Airlines until 1982, when it merged with Continental Airlines. ...

*** 1987 - Acquired People Express, Frontier, and

New York Air New York Air was a low-cost U.S. airline owned by Texas Air Corporation and based at Hangar 5 at LaGuardia Airport in Flushing, Queens, New York. It ceased operations on February 1, 1987, in a merger with Continental Airlines. New York Air ...

*** 1987 - Acquired PBA and Britt Airways from People Express merger / created

Continental Express Continental Express was the operating brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing commuter airliner and regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines. In 2012 at the time of the merger ...

*** 2010 - Merged into

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

Delta Air Lines Delta Air Lines, Inc., typically referred to as Delta, is one of the major airlines of the United States and a legacy carrier. One of the world's oldest airlines in operation, Delta is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline, along w ...

*** 1924 - Started as

Huff Daland Dusters Huff-Daland was an American aircraft manufacturer. Formed as Ogdensburg Aeroway Corp in 1920 in Ogdensburg, New York by Thomas Huff and Elliot Daland, its name was quickly changed to Huff-Daland Aero Corp and then in 1925 it was changed again to ...

*** 1928 - Huff Daland Dusters was purchased by C.E. Woolman and renamed Delta Air Service after the Mississippi Delta *** 1953 - Purchased the Chicago and Southern Air Lines, and flew under the name Delta C&S for the next two years *** 1972 - Purchased Northeast Airlines *** 1984 - Established the Delta Connection (ASA, Comair, Skywest, ...) *** 1987 - Merged with

Western Airlines Western Airlines was a major airline based in California, operating in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii, and western Canada, as well as to New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami and to Mexico City, London and ...

*** 1991 - Purchase of Pan Am's European routes, and acquired Pan Am's shuttle, forming what is today Delta Shuttle *** 1996 - Delta Express began service, ended November 2003 *** 2003 -

Song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetit ...

began service, ended May 2006 *** 2010 - Merged with

Northwest Airlines Northwest Airlines Corp. (NWA) was a major American airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines, Inc. by a merger. The merger, approved on October 29, 2008, made Delta the largest airline in the world until the American Airlines ...

, was world's largest carrier at time of merger, keeping the Delta Air Lines brand. *** 2017 - Bought 10% of

Air France–KLM Air France–KLM S.A., also known as Air France–KLM Group, is a Franco-Dutch airline holding company incorporated under French law with its headquarters at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Tremblay-en-France, near Paris. The group has offices in ...

*** 2017 - Bought 32% of Aeromexico to total a stake of 49% ownership *** 2020 - Bought 20% of

** Eastern Air Lines *** 1956 - merges with Colonial Airlines *** 1986 - Purchased by Texas International, but continues to operate separately as Eastern Airlines *** 1990 -

purchased Eastern's routes from Miami to Latin America and the Caribbean ** Frontier Airlines *** 2007 - Entered service agreement with Republic Airways *** 2008 - Declared bankruptcy, then purchased by Republic *** 2009 - Still under the Frontier name, Republic mandates a merger between Frontier and Midwest Airlines *** 2013 - Enter a contract with Indigo, beginning a transition into an ULCC **

Hughes Airwest Hughes Airwest was a regional airline in the western United States, backed by Howard Hughes' Summa Corporation. Its original name in 1968 was Air West and the air carrier was owned by Nick Bez. Hughes Airwest flew routes in the wes ...

*** 1968 -

Pacific Air Lines Pacific Air Lines was a regional airline (then called a "local service" air carrier as defined by the federal Civil Aeronautics Board) on the West Coast of the United States that began scheduled passenger flights in the mid 1940s under the name ...

(originally Southwest Airways),

Bonanza Air Lines Bonanza Air Lines was an airline (known at the time as a "local service" air carrier as defined by the federal Civil Aeronautics Board) in the Western United States (and eventually Mexico) from 1945 until it merged with two other local service ai ...

, and West Coast Airlines merged to form

Air West Air West is an airline based in Khartoum, Sudan. It operates domestic passenger services and international cargo charters. Its main base is Khartoum International Airport, with a hub at Sharjah International Airport. This airline has no connect ...

*** 1970 -

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...

purchased Air West and renamed it Hughes Airwest *** 1980 - Merged into

Republic Airlines Republic Airlines was an American airline formed by the merger of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways on July 1, 1979. Their headquarters were at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, in what is now Fort Snelling, Minnesota, Fort ...

** National Airlines *** 1979 - Merged with Pan Am ** Northeast Airlines *** 1972 - Merged into

*** 1916 - Founded by Col. Lewis Patenaude, under the name Northwest Airways *** 1927 - Began flying passengers *** 1949 - With its new routes to the far east, re-branded itself as Northwest Orient Airlines *** 1986 - Purchased Republic Airlines, and dropped the word Orient from its brand name *** 1993 - Began transatlantic partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, dubbed as "Worldwide Reliability". *** 2008 - Merged into

. Became world's largest airline by passenger traffic in 2008 under the Delta name. **

Ozark Airlines Ozark Air Lines was an airline that operated in the United States from 1950 until 1986 when it was purchased by Trans World Airlines (TWA). In 2001, TWA was merged into American Airlines. A smaller regional airline that used the Ozark name (a ...

*** 1943 -

Ozark Air Lines Ozark Air Lines was an airline that operated in the United States from 1950 until 1986 when it was purchased by Trans World Airlines (TWA). In 2001, TWA was merged into American Airlines. A smaller regional airline that used the Ozark name ( ...

is founded, then ceases operations in late 1940s *** 1944 - Parks Air Transport (Parks Air Lines) is founded *** 1950 -

resumes operations *** 1950 - Purchased Parks Air Transport (Parks Air Lines) *** 1986 - Merged into Trans World Airlines **

Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

*** 1928 - Merged with Aviation Corporation of the Americas/American International Airways *** 1928 - Founded and formed by the merger of Atlantic, Gulf, and Caribbean Airways *** 1929 - Acquired majority of

Mexicana de Aviación Compañía Mexicana de Aviación, S.A. de C.V. (usually shortened to Mexicana de Aviación or simply Mexicana) was Mexico's oldest airline and one of the List of airlines by foundation date, oldest continuously single-branded airlines (after ...

*** 1950 - Merged with American Overseas Airlines *** 1979 - Merged with National Airlines *** 1985 - United Airlines Purchased Pan Am's entire Pacific Division *** 1990 - United Airlines Purchased Pan Am routes to London Heathrow Airport *** 1991 - United Airlines Purchased Pan Am's entire Latin American Division *** 1991 - Delta Air Lines purchased Pan Am's European routes, and acquired Pan Am's Shuttle **

(Republic Airlines 1979-1986) *** 1979 - Founded and formed by the merger of

North Central Airlines North Central Airlines was a regional airline in the Midwestern United States. Founded as Wisconsin Central Airlines in 1944 in Clintonville, Wisconsin, the company moved to Madison in 1947. This is also when the "Herman the duck" logo was bo ...

and

Southern Airways Southern Airways was a regional airline (known at the time as a "local-service air carrier" as designated by the federal Civil Aeronautics Board) in the United States, from its founding by Frank Hulse in 1949 until 1979, when it merged with ...

*** 1944 -

is founded *** 1944 - Wisconsin Central Airlines is founded *** 1952 - Wisconsin Central Airlines changes name to

*** 1980 - Acquired

*** 1986 - Merged into Northwest Orient to form

Republic Airways Holdings Republic Airways Holdings, Inc. is an American airline holding corporation based in Indianapolis, Indiana, that owns Republic Airways, an American regional airline operating in the United States, and LIFT Academy, the only flight training acade ...

*** 2005 - Acquired

Shuttle America Shuttle America Corporation was an American regional airline based in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. It fed United Airlines flights at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH) under the United Express bra ...

. *** 2009 - Acquired Midwest Airlines. *** 2009 - Acquired Frontier Airlines. ** Southwest Airlines *** 1985 - Acquired Muse Air *** 1993 - Acquired

Morris Air Morris Air was a low-fare airline in the western United States, based in Salt Lake City, Utah. It began scheduled operations in 1992, and was sold to Southwest Airlines in December 1993 for over $120 million in stock. The airline officially became ...

*** 2008 - Acquired certain assets of bankrupt

ATA Airlines ATA Airlines, Inc. – formerly known as American Trans Air and commonly referred to as ATA – was a United States low-cost scheduled service and charter airline based in Indianapolis, Indiana. ATA operated scheduled passenger flights ...

*** 2010 - Acquired AirTran Airways ** Trans World Airlines *** 1925 - First Incorporate as

Western Air Express Western Airlines was a major airline based in California, operating in the Western United States including Alaska and Hawaii, and western Canada, as well as to New York City, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Miami and to Mexico City, London and ...

*** 1927 -

Maddux Air Lines Maddux Air Lines was an airline based in Southern California that operated Ford Tri-motors in California, Arizona, and Mexico in the late 1920s. Founding In 1927 Jack L. Maddux, an owner of a Los Angeles Ford and Lincoln car dealership ...

is founded *** 1927 - Standard Air Lines is founded *** 1928 -

Transcontinental Air Transport Transcontinental Air Transport (T-A-T) was an airline founded in 1928 by Clement Melville Keys that merged in 1930 with Western Air Express to form what became TWA. Keys enlisted the help of Charles Lindbergh to design a transcontinental network ...

is founded *** 1929 -

merges with

*** 1930 - Standard Air Lines merges with

*** 1930 -

merges with

, rebranded itself as Transcontinental & Western Air, T&WA, later changed name to Trans World Airlines,

TWA Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major American airline which operated from 1930 until 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with ...

*** 1934 -

broke off from Transcontinental & Western Air, T&WA and briefly changed its name to General Air Lines, returning to the name

after several months *** 1986 - Purchased

*** 2001 - Merged into

United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. (commonly referred to as United), is a major American airline headquartered at the Willis Tower in Chicago, Illinois.

*** 1926 - Founded as

Varney Air Lines Varney Air Lines was an airline company that started service on April 6, 1926, as an air-mail carrier. Formed by Walter Varney, the airline was based in Boise, Idaho, United States. The airline is one of the predecessors of United Airlines. H ...

*** 1931 - Purchased National Air Transport and

Pacific Air Transport Pacific Air Transport was an early US airline, formed in 1926 for carrying mail as well as passengers. It was acquired two years later by Boeing Air Transport. Early history Pacific Air Transport (PAT) was formed in January 1926 by Vern C. Gorst ...

*** 1961 - Merged with Capital Airlines *** 1985 - Purchased Pan Am's entire Pacific Division *** 1990 - Purchased Pan Am routes to London Heathrow Airport *** 1991 - Purchased Pan Am's entire Latin American Division *** 2012 - Acquired Continental Airlines. Was the world's largest carrier at the time of merger. *** 2014 - After taking over Continental, United closed the hub at

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is an international airport in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is the primary airport serving Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, the largest and busiest airport in the state, and the 43rd busiest ...

for the second time. **

*** 1938 - Started as

All American Aviation Company All American Aviation was an airline company founded by Lytle Schooler Adams in 1937. It evolved over the decades to become Allegheny Airlines, then USAir and subsequently US Airways, with the latter's merger with American Airlines in 2013 crea ...

, renamed All American Airlines and then Allegheny Airlines *** 1957 - Changed name to Allegheny Airlines *** 1968 - Purchased

Lake Central Airlines Lake Central Airlines was an airline that served points in the midwestern and eastern United States from 1950 to 1968, when it merged into Allegheny Airlines. In 1979 Allegheny became USAir. In 1997 USAir became US Airways. In 2015 US Airways w ...

*** 1972 - Purchased Mohawk Airlines *** 1979 - Changed name to

USAir US Airways (formerly USAir) was a major United States airline that operated from 1937 until its merger with American Airlines in 2015. It was originally founded in Pittsburgh as a mail delivery airline called All American Aviation, which soon b ...

*** 1988 - Purchased

Pacific Southwest Airlines Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) was a regional U.S. airline headquartered in San Diego, California, that operated from 1949 to 1998. It was the first large discount airline in the United States. PSA called itself "The World's Friendliest Airl ...

*** 1989 - Purchased

Piedmont Airlines Piedmont Airlines, Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered at the Salisbury Regional Airport in unincorporated Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury. The airline is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Airline ...

*** 1992 - Operates former

Trump Shuttle Trump Shuttle, Inc., was an airline owned by businessman Donald Trump from 1989 to 1992. The landing rights and some of the physical assets necessary to operate the shuttle flights were originally part of Eastern Air Lines and known as the ...

for banks, renamed by banks as Shuttle, Inc, dba USAir Shuttle *** 1997 - Changed name to

*** 1997 - Purchased former

, now Shuttle, Inc from Banks, dba

US Airways Shuttle US Airways Shuttle was the brand name for US Airways' hourly air shuttle service operating in the Northeastern United States. It served Logan International Airport in Boston, LaGuardia Airport in New York City, and Ronald Reagan Washington ...

*** 1998 - Launches low-fare carrier MetroJet *** 2000 - Merges

into

*** 2001 - Dissolves low-fare carrier MetroJet *** 2005 - Acquired

*** 2013 - Merged into

*** 2016 - Merged into

. The merger made Alaska a dominant U.S. carrier in the West Coast. **

*** 1925 - First incorporated as Western Air Express by Harris Hanshue *** 1926 - Western's first flight took place *** 1928 - Reincorporated as Western Air Express Corp. *** 1930 - Purchased Standard Airlines (subsidiary of Aero Corp. of Ca. founded in 1926). WAE with Fokker aircraft merged with Transcontinental Air Transport T-A-T to form Transcontinental & Western Air T&WA. *** 1934 - Western Air Express broke off from Transcontinental & Western Air T&WA and briefly changed its name to General Air Lines, returning to the name Western Air Express after several months *** 1941 - Western Air Express changed its name to Western Air Lines, which was later altered to Western Airlines *** 1967 - merged with Pacific Northern Airlines *** 1987 - Merged into

# Lufthansa #*1955 - Created Deutsche Flugdienst GmbH in conjunction with other companies and subsequently owned 25.81% of it #*1959 - Increased its shares in Deutsche Flugdienst to 95.5%. In 1961 Deutsche Flugdienst bought "Condor-Luftreederei“ renaming itself then "Condor Flugdienst GmbH" #*1989 - Created SunExpress Airlines as a joint venture with Turkish Airlines #*1995 - Transferred SunExpress shares over to Condor #*1999 - Purchased 26% of Air Dolomiti #*2003 - upped its stake to 51.9% (April) and then 100% (November) of Air Dolomiti #*2006 - Lufthansa sold its remaining 50% stake in Condor to KarstadtQuelle AG #*2007 - In conjunction with the sale of Condor, LH took back its shares of SunExpress #*2005-2007 - Purchased Swiss Int'l Airlines #*2008 - Purchased Austrian Airlines #*2008 - Purchased BMI (Sold in 2011 to IAG (British Airways)) #*2008 - Acquired 45% of Brussels Airlines #*2008 - Purchased 19% of Jetblue #*2009 - Acquired 100% of Germanwings #*2016 - Acquired remaining 55% of Brussels Airlines #*2017 - Acquired

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and passengers ...

and

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

#* 2010 -

International Airlines Group International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A., trading as International Airlines Group and usually shortened to IAG, is an Anglo-Spanish multinational airline holding company with its registered office in Madrid, Spain, and its global headq ...

was formed by the merger of two airlines. Both carriers continued to operate under separate brand.

References

{{Reflist Mergers Airline mergers Merger

See also

References