AIR FRANCE has sealed the take-over of KLM, winning 90% of the share capital of the Dutch carrier, in a strategic move that was originally unveiled last September. The combined airline represents the first cross-border merger of major European carriers and creates a company that ranks ahead of Japan Airlines System as the largest airline in the world by revenue and just behind American Airlines and United Airlines in terms of passenger numbers. The airline, which will continue to operate under the Air France and KLM brands, has rearranged the times of 15 daily round-trip flights between Paris and Amsterdam and will move KLM to terminal 2F at CDG to increase the number of connections available to passengers. On some long haul routes, one of the carriers will stop its service, relying on the other to shuttle passengers. Air France, for example, will stop flying to Manila in the Philippines and KLM will end its service to Caracas, Venezuela.
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