United’s Scott Kirby Has a Point About Airline Mergers
The industry faces a much higher bar on consolidation, while still being expected to manage the consequences of consolidation elsewhere
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The airplane manufacturing industry is effectively a duopoly split between Boeing Co. and Airbus SE. There are less than a handful of major commercial engine suppliers globally. The world’s two largest jet lessors combined in 2021. But good luck trying to combine two airlines that aren’t on life support.