British Airways has confirmed that they are exploring a possible merger with Qantas, the national carrier of Australia. The airline issued a statement for the confirmation, but they were careful to note that there are no guarantees of the deal going through. The confirmation comes after the news that the government of Australia may by preparing to relax some of the regulations for foreign ownership. Right now, Australian law sates that Qantas has to be 51% Australian-owned at the very least.

“In response to recent media speculation, British Airways has confirmed that it is exploring a potential merger with Qantas Airways Limited via a dual-listed company structure,” the statement said. “The discussions between British Airways and Iberia are continuing. There is no guarantee that any transaction will be forthcoming and a further announcement will be made in due course, if appropriate.”

After the statement, British Airways’ shares soared by 13.24%, giving them a £1.8 billion market value. The combination of British Airways and Qantas would create a company with 79,000 employees, as well as a combined £14.9 billion revenue.

British Airways is also in merger talks with Iberia. If a merger was signed between all three of the airlines, they would make one of the world’s biggest carriers with dominant routes across Australia, the North Atlantic, and the South Atlantic.

Thank you Breaking Travel News for the quotes.

Get more information about these two carriers at: www.birtishairways.com -or- www.qantas.com.au