Delta Air Lines said on Wednesday it had merged with Northwest Airlines to create one of the world’s biggest carriers after winning approval from US antitrust authorities.
Delta announced late on Wednesday that the merger was completed, “creating a premier global airline with service to nearly all of the world’s major travel markets.”
The takeover by Delta, the nation’s third-largest airline, of No. 5 Northwest creates a new mammoth airline that keeps the Delta name and, like its namesake, is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
The new airline serves customers in 66 countries and more than 375 worldwide cities — “more than any other airline” — with a worldwide workforce of approximately 75,000 employees, Delta said.
“The airline industry faces a very difficult economic environment around the world and this merger gives Delta increased flexibility to adapt to the economic challenges ahead,” Delta chief executive Richard Anderson said.
With the completion of the merger, Northwest Airlines is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta, it said.
The merger comes amid consolidation in the aviation sector as airlines struggle to survive amid high fuel prices and economic turmoil.
The company said its “strong liquidity balance” will help it cope with the challenges of the weakening global economy.
US antitrust authorities earlier on Wednesday cleared the proposed merger of Delta and Northwest, the final hurdle in the deal.
The Justice Department said it concluded a six-month antitrust review and determined that the merger “is likely to produce substantial and credible efficiencies that will benefit US consumers and is not likely to substantially lessen competition.”
The new Delta is the world’s leading passenger carrier, with an estimated 285.5 billion revenue passenger miles, a measure of the number of passengers and the distance flown, according to last year’s data from the International Air Transport Association.
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