Fusiones y Adquisiciones

✈ Air France, with CEOs Emmanuel Macron and Ben Smith recently showing interest in the Portuguese airline TAP, claims to have the best offer due to strong government ties, amidst a potential crisis in Lisbon with elections due in May. France holds 27.9% and the Netherlands 9.13% of Air France KLM's shares, making them unique among Europe's big three airline groups for successfully working with two governments. Smith cites a 20-year experience with governments as a strategic advantage for Portugal's consideration.

✈ In 2020, COVID-19 impacted airlines, with expensive aircraft parking and route cancellations in 2021. From 2022, Lufthansa and Air France faced fuel costs, rehiring staff, closed Chinese markets, and difficulty restarting operations. In 2023, too many aircraft were decommissioned, with costly reactivations and unmet Boeing and Airbus orders amid global conflicts, plus Amsterdam's airport issues and soaring costs. 2024 proved worse for Air France due to Olympic disruptions, while Lufthansa struggled with strikes, an aging fleet, and first-class upgrade delays.

🏩 IAG outperformed European competitors Air France-KLM and Lufthansa in 2024, multiplying profits by eight times Air France-KLM's and doubling Lufthansa's. Air France-KLM's net profit was €317 million (down 66% from 2023's €934 million), with revenue up 5% from €30.019 billion to €31.459 billion. Lufthansa's net profit decreased by 18% to €1.380 billion despite record revenues rising from €35.400 billion to €37.580 billion. IAG, parent of Iberia and Vueling, reported a 2.9% net profit increase to €2.732 billion and a 9% revenue increase to €32.100 billion in 2024.

✈ Air Europa increases flights to American destinations for summer: from mid-June to September, daily flights to 5 in-demand locations. Frequencies from Madrid to Medellín, Asunción, Havana, Panama, and New York up to 7 times weekly. Flights to Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Lima, Miami, Santo Domingo already daily. Cancún and Punta Cana will have 5 weekly flights; Córdoba and Salvador de Bahía increase to 4. Ecuador routes to Quito and Guayaquil will permanently have 3 weekly flights starting summer. Air Europa to offer 3.5 million long-haul seats, aiming for 3.3 million passengers with an average 84% occupancy. In 2025, 3 new Boeing 787 Dreamliners will join its fleet of 26.

🏠 Bonmont Hotel & Spa in Mont-roig del Camp, Tarragona, sold at auction for €6.7 million by a Grupo Costa company, which acquired the associated golf course in August 2024. Initial auction for the hotel started at €10 million but failed to attract buyers. The property, intended to open as Westin Bonmont Golf & Spa Resort in April 2019, remains closed. It sits on a 17,720 square meter plot with 136 rooms and nearly 1,000 meters dedicated to spa and fitness.

✈ Ryanair, Europe's most controversial low-cost carrier, witnessed a 14% growth in travelers, from 11.1 million in February last year to 12.6 million this year. If maintained annually, this growth could lead to 199 million passengers. Despite being last in quality and preference rankings and facing harsh public criticism, consumer behavior indicates a continued preference for what is convenient, contributing to Ryanair's significant passenger increase.

🏩 Ávoris, owned by Barceló, will surpass 3,000 sales points after acquiring Dit Gestión in early April 2023. Dit Gestión, with approximately 800 agencies, will join Ávoris but maintain independence. The acquisition, previously having CNMC approval, will add to Ávoris's existing ~2,300 points of sale from brands like Halcón Viajes and B travel. Ávoris's associated division, led by Endika Ormaeche since spring 2023, will include Dit Gestión, still under Jon and Lander Arriaga's leadership.

🏨 Sichuan Airlines to launch direct route from Chengdu to Madrid on April 27 with four weekly flights using Airbus A330 for 305 passengers. Madrid-Barajas becomes a hub for Chinese airlines' routes between Asia and America. Capital Airlines adds fourth weekly frequency between Madrid and Hangzhou from June 22 to August 24. Madrid now has 8 destinations in China, 30 weekly frequencies, operated by six airlines, seeking to attract Asian tourists through Madrid's 'Plan Asia'. Barcelona-El Prat maintains connectivity with China without new route announcements.

🏢 World2Meet (W2M), owned by Iberostar, acquired Abramar Viajes, a corporate travel agency based in Vigo, founded in 1998. Abramar, part of Lufthansa City Center, operates from a 350m² central office and a 160m² branch in Porriño, Pontevedra. This acquisition expands Úbico's network, led by Javier Longarte, to beyond 22 offices after its launch in March 2021. W2M also recently bought Spatravel, a vacation agency in Málaga, joining Azulmarino's near 200 sales points network.

✈ Polonia, aiming to boost its position in the aviation sector, is considering purchasing shares of European aerospace consortium Airbus. Currently, Airbus operates 4 factories in Poland with 800 employees. The country's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a pro-European leader, hosted Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury to potentially negotiate aircraft sales and other matters. Discussions may include Poland acquiring 2-4 A330 MRTT refueling aircraft, 6-8 A400M transport aircraft made in Sevilla, and 20 H145 helicopters. Poland might negotiate for 1-2% of Airbus' capital, while some in Warsaw suggest up to 5%.