British Airways Says It Has Identified a Dozen Potenital Merger Targets

British Airways Plc said it has identified about 12 airlines that would be attractive to International Airlines Group, the company being formed by the U.K. carrier’s merger with Iberia Lineas Aereas de Espana SA.

British Airways and Iberia narrowed the list of potential targets from an initial pool of about 40, London-based BA said in an e-mailed statement today. A spokeswoman for British Airways declined to identify the companies on the list when contacted by phone.

BA Chief Executive Officer Willie Walsh has been in Mumbai this weekend to announce a code-share agreement with Kingfisher Airlines Ltd., India’s second-biggest carrier. The Daily Telegraph yesterday named Kingfisher as a possible investment target for IAG, saying that Walsh described the carrier as “clearly the best partner” in India.

“With Iberia, we have had a number of meetings where we have looked at airlines around the world and identified those that would be attractive to us in joining IAG,” Walsh said in comments e-mailed to Bloomberg News. “We want to create a platform for like-minded airlines -- those who believe that consolidation is part of the answer for the industry -- to be able to join us. We have not had any discussions with any airlines.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Michelle E. Frazer in London at mfrazer@bloomberg.net

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