The US airline Delta Air Lines said Wednesday it was open to mergers, after receiving a letter from a stakeholder that reportedly urged Delta to tie up with rival United Airlines.
"We have been consistent in our public statements that Delta believes that the right consolidation transaction could generate significant value for our shareholders and employees and that strategic options should be evaluated," Delta CEO Richard Anderson said in a statement.
Anderson was responding to a proposal from Pardus Capital Management, which owns a roughly 2.0 percent stake in Delta and 4.8 percent of UAL, the parent company of United Airlines. The letter suggested a merger of the two carriers, media reports said.
"With oil at over 90 dollars a barrel, this analysis takes on a heightened importance as we factor those prices into our long-term planning process," Anderson said. The company statement did not explicitly refer to United.
A Delta board panel is working with management to review and analyze strategic options, "including potential consolidation transactions," the statement said.
Delta, the third-largest US carrier, emerged from bankruptcy protection on April 30.
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