Covid Thrusts Governments Into Cockpit With Flag Carrier Aid
- Decades after privatizations governments own sizable stakes
- The moves raise concerns about political meddling in industry
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Decades after being unshackled from government control, many of Europe’s largest airlines are being forced back into the arms of states by the pandemic.
With air travel still showing no signs of recovery in the region, the carriers may have to contend with their saviors as powerful shareholders for some time to come. Air France-KLM on Tuesday became the latest to get a 4 billion-euro ($4.7 billion) bailout that will see the French government reemerge as its biggest shareholder with a stake of up to 30%. The flag bearer joins Germany’s Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Alitalia SpA, Sweden’s SAS AB and TAP Air Portugal to see a bigger state presence following aid sought to cope with one of the industry’s worst crises.