Air France, Delta in joint-venture talks

PARIS, July 30 (UPI) -- Air France-KLM SA unit Air France confirmed a French newspaper report Monday it was in talks with Delta Air Lines Inc. about forming a joint venture.

France's international flag carrier was "still in negotiations" with Atlanta's Delta and no agreement had been reached, the Paris airline said.

Delta, which emerged from U.S. bankruptcy protection April 30, had no immediate comment.

A report in the French business daily Les Echos, a Financial Times subsidiary, said a deal could be reached this fall.

The deal would let the airlines "go well beyond their current partnership" through the SkyTeam alliance to include "50-50 splits" of profits on trans-Atlantic routes, the newspaper said.

The deal, which would start next April, would first involve flights between Paris and New York and between London to other U.S. cities, Les Echos said.

The remaining trans-Atlantic routes from both airlines would be brought into the joint venture within two years, the newspaper said.

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