US companies Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines yesterday struck a merger agreement,

after months of talks. The merger will create the world’s largest carrier, re-launch the aviation battle in the US and spur rivals to pursue similar deals. Sources close to the deal said Continental had started preliminary talks with United and American in turn is considering its options, including a rapprochement with US Airways. For its part, Air France-KLM, which had supported the Delta/ Northwest merger scenario from the start, will not invest in the new combined entity, as initially proposed. “Their cash resources did not require additional financing”, said the French-Dutch airline in a statement. La Tribune analyses how Air France-KLM, a partner to both Delta and Northwest within the SkyTeam alliance, will benefit from this merger. La Tribune, Financial Times