Delta is to pay a sum likely to be in excess of £100m for six pairs of slots at Heathrow.
The US carrier is finalising the purchase of the take-off and landing pairs from its joint venture partners Air France and KLM, which are already leasing them to Delta. Air France has already downsized at Heathrow, while KLM’s Amsterdam flights are likely to be affected by the start of Eurostar services from late 2016 in the same way as the London-Paris air market has been changed.
Delta declined to say how much the slots had changed hands for, but said that taking ownership would “enhance its ability to provide long term continuity and stability” on the route network operated from Heathrow with joint venture partner Virgin Atlantic.
The two carriers operate 26 non-stop flights between Heathrow and the US a day and are a major opponent to the British Airways/American Airlines joint venture. A Delta spokeswoman said that the purchase did not mean any new routes would be started as the slots were already in use. However, Delta is due to start flights from Heathrow to Salt Lake City in May.
Delta is in expansion mode after a year of firm profits. In the three months to the end of September, it reported a pre-tax profit of $2.2 billion, a year on year increase of $547m. For the final three months of 2015, it is predicting a 16-18 per cent operating margin helped by a $750m fall in its fuel bill.