BA and Iberia in £4.4bn merger

Iberia’s shareholders also approved the move at a reciprocal meeting held in Madrid, and both airlines will cease trading as individual companies on the FTSE.

BA and Iberia’s shares are expected to disappear from the London stock exchange on 21 Friday January 2011. They will be replaced by International Airlines Group (AIG) shares on Monday 24 January.

Kerris Bright was appointed head of marketing at BA in February this year.

The branding for each airline will be retained, and BA has said it is "far too early" to say what, if any, changes will be made within the airlines’ marketing departments.

Willie Walsh will become the chief executive of AIG, with Keith Williams, current chief financial officer of BA moving up fill Walsh’s position.

AIG will mix the two carriers operations to create a combined fleet of 406 aircraft. It will be overseen by the International Consolidated Airlines Group.

This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk