MADRID: Franco-Dutch airline group Air France-KLM is in talks to take a 20 per cent stake in Spanish airline Air Europa, newspaper El Economista said on Wednesday, citing unidentified sources.
The price of the stake would be higher than the 100 million euros (US$104.97 million) paid by British Airways owner IAG for a similar stake, the newspaper said.
Air Europa, owned by Spanish family group Globalia, is considering raising cash through a capital increase.
Back in August, IAG dropped its plan to take over Air Europa after European anti-trust watchdog said the remedies offered by AIG were not enough.
Asked about the newspaper report, Air France-KLM said discussions on commercial cooperation with Air Europa are underway, within the framework on the SkyTeam alliance, but did not comment on the acquisition of a stake in the Spanish airline.
Air Europa and Globalia did not immediately respond to requests for comment.