Air Europa Express, the regional subsidiary of Air Europa
, has applied to the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) to allow the Spanish carrier to carry Delta Air Lines’ designator code DL on flights within Europe.
Codesharing on intra-European flights
According to the DOT
application Air Europa Express, legally Aeronova, submitted on December 16, the regional carrier asked the Department to allow the airline to carry Delta Air Lines’ designator codes on its operated flights.
The expanded codeshare agreement would include points in the European Union (EU) and the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA), with the latter including non-EU states, such as Iceland, Norway, or Turkey, as well as destinations beyond the EU and ECAA.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
Currently, Air Europa Express shows Delta Air Lines’ flight code on flights within the ECAA, with the expanded agreement complementing the long-standing reciprocal codeshare between Air Europa and the US carrier.
Like Air Europa, Air Europa Express is owned by Spain-based Globalia, which, according to the application, also owns several companies involved in transport and tourism.
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Starting as soon as possible
“Air Europa Express requests that its exemption authority be issued for at least two years, and that the requested statement of authorization be issued for an indefinite period consistent with the Department’s usual practice.”
The Spanish airline added that the codeshare agreement would start as soon as all governmental approvals are obtained. As a result, it requested an expedited approval of this application.
Air Europa and 
Delta Air Lines
have had a codeshare agreement since the DOT approved the partnership in 2011, the regional carrier highlighted. The parties involved in the application said that the Air Europa and Delta Air Lines partnership would be mirrored in the new codeshare agreement.
“Air Europa Express and Delta will notify the Department no later than 30 days before commencing any codeshare services covered by this application to/from non-open skies points or on routes for which they do not otherwise hold authority. Air Europa Express does not intend to operate service to or from the United States.”
Data from Cirium’s Diio Mi airline planning system showed that in December, Air Europa Express has primarily scheduled flights – all of its flights are marketed by Air Europa – from Madrid Barajas Airport
(MAD), with only two routes not departing or arriving at the Spanish capital. Both connect Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) with the Spanish mainland.
Photo: Great Circle Map
Ch-aviation data showed that the airline has eight Boeing 737-800
aircraft in its fleet, three of which were previously operated by Air Europa.
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Air Europa operates similar routes to Iberia, such as Gatwick to Barcelona and Paris to Barcelona.
Aligning closer to SkyTeam after failed merger with IAG
Air Europa and Delta Air Lines are both members of 
SkyTeam
, with the codeshare agreement expanding the latter’s network with the codeshare with the former’s regional subsidiary.
Nevertheless, Air France-KLM
, which acquired a minority stake in SAS, resulting in the Scandinavian carrier leaving Star Alliance and joining SkyTeam, has been eyeing a stake in the Spanish carrier.
This comes as International Airlines Group’s ( IAG
) planned Globalia buyout out of Air Europa fell through due to the group’s concerns about the conditions that the EC would impose out of its own concerns regarding competition on short and long-haul routes from/to Spain.
Photo: Ryken Papy | Shutterstock
In August, after learning that IAG backed out of its planned acquisition of Air Europa, the executive vice president of the EC, Margrethe Vestager, said that the group, through 
Iberia
and its other Spanish and group airlines, and Air Europa, were critical connectivity providers within and from the country.
“Our in-depth analysis indicated that the merger would have negatively affected competition on a large number of domestic, short-haul and long-routes within, to and from Spain on which the two airlines compete closely.”
However, while Air France-KLM has reportedly expressed interest in also acquiring a minority stake in Air Europa, IAG is not letting go.
In December, the English-Spanish airline group participated in Air Europa’s capital increase orchestrated by the latter’s parent company, Globalia, ensuring its 20% stake is kept intact, according to a report by Spain-based business outlet Cinco Días.
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Globalia, which owns 80% of Air Europa, has been reportedly in negotiations with Air France-KLM for several weeks.
