Fusiones y Adquisiciones

✈ Lufthansa is accelerating its efforts to acquire a stake in Air Europa. A due diligence has been conducted, with plans to submit a binding offer soon. Air Europa, led by CEO Jesús Nuño de la Rosa, needs the sale to repay a €475 million state rescue by 2026. Air France and Lufthansa aim for a majority stake, but the Hidalgo family only wants to sell 25%. The €1 billion valuation, unchanged since pre-pandemic negotiations with Iberia, is considered high by potential buyers.

🏨 Hyatt Hotels Corporation lanzó "Unscripted by Hyatt", parte de la colección Essentials. Dirigida a hoteles de 100-200 habitaciones, la marca busca crecer mediante la reconversión de activos. Actualmente, hay más de 40 hoteles en conversaciones para unirse. En 2023, Hyatt adquirió Dream Hotel Group por 289 millones de euros. La cartera Lifestyle sumó más de 30 propiedades y 3,500 habitaciones del primer trimestre de 2024 al primer trimestre de 2025. El programa World of Hyatt tiene más de 56 millones de miembros.

✈ Ryanair, in 2019, agreed with the Maltese government to set up a permanent base and a subsidiary, Malta Air. Malta secured a 'golden share' to ensure Ryanair promoted tourism. Ryanair now has 136 Boeing 737s and 43 Max aircraft registered in Malta. Recently, Malta sold its controlling share to Gulliver Holdings for €25,000, giving Ryanair full ownership of Malta Air.

🗺 Viajes El Corte Inglés plans to expand its division to other destinations from the initial focus in Canarias, where the division started in early 2024 with about 20 employees. The expansion hinges on promising results. The initiative aims to enhance the Tourmundial offerings, which surpassed €200 million in revenue last year. The group's strategic focus on its wholesale division emphasizes its increasing significance in the travel sector.

✈️ Boeing's 777X undergoes tests, with a dramatic stop captured by YouTube's TinyEyesSeby, coming to a halt in just 15 seconds. Expected service entry: 2026, barring delays. Lufthansa, the German airline, will debut the aircraft exclusively.

🛩 Una vez constituido el nuevo gobierno de Portugal, la privatización de TAP Air Portugal podría reactivarse, con interés en vender el 100% de la compañía. IAG, propietaria de Iberia, busca adquirirla por completo, mientras que Air France y Lufthansa están dispuestas a aceptar una participación minoritaria. El primer ministro Luís Montenegro, apoyado por el partido de ultraderecha Chega, aumenta su cuota electoral, favoreciendo la privatización total, aunque sigue necesitando alianzas para asegurar una mayoría.

📦 Grupo Piñero's Coming2 ceases operations in Spain, transferring its business to Jumbo Tours. This follows their decision to exit the Caribbean market, effective April 30, 2023, impacting destinations in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Jamaica. Previously, Coming2 served 600,000 passengers annually, with over 1.5 million services in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Spain. CEO Ricardo Moreno highlights a responsible transition, ensuring seamless service continuity, while Jumbo Tours' Emilio Rivas commits to maintaining high-quality standards.

🚀 Qatar Airways purchased 100 wide-body airplanes from Boeing in what is the largest order in Boeing's history, reaching nearly $100 billion. Potential options could bring the total to 210 aircraft. All planes and engines are from the U.S., with General Electric providing engines. This historic purchase caused Boeing's stock to rise by 1.3%. Donald Trump, on his Middle East tour, is accompanied by Boeing's CEO amid this significant deal.

✈ China resumes receiving Boeing aircraft after a one-month delivery suspension, post a 90-day trade truce with the U.S. During the veto, aircraft bound for China were returned to the U.S., and about 50 planes awaited delivery. The U.S. initially imposed 145% tariffs, while China set 125% tariffs. Following the agreement, U.S. tariffs will be reduced to 30% and China's to 10% for three months. The delivery schedule remains unconfirmed by Boeing and the CAAC, depending on the outcome of bilateral negotiations after the truce.

✈ Air Europa will settle its €141 million ICO-backed loan this week, originally taken in May 2020 during the pandemic. The airline will pay the remaining €58 million plus interest at an 8.107% rate. Previously, it repaid €53 million in May 2024 and €29.6 million earlier. The loan was due by 2028 but is now cleared. Next, Air Europa must address a €475 million state rescue, with Lufthansa or Air France-KLM potential investors.