US FAA approves plan for Delta/Northwest merger
23 Sep 2008
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has accorded its approval to the merger transition plan submitted by Delta and Northwest Airlines. The plans calls for the two carriers to move to a single operating certificate within a maximum of 18 months.
In a statement, the airlines said that the plan provides the outline and the methodology, processes, tools and timing to maintain the safety of the day-to-day operations, while also achieving a single operating certificate.
Delta Airlines senior vice president for maintenance operations, John Laughter said that the FAA's acceptance of the plan is a significant milestone in efforts to ''bring together our two airlines."
The shareholders of Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines are scheduled to vote on the merger this Thursday. The merger has already been cleared by the European Commission, and the two airlines said that they anticipate an approval from the US department of justice before the year ends.
The merged airline will be called Delta, and will operate a mainline fleet of almost 800 aircraft, employing around 75,000 people globally.
