Turkish Airlines has confirmed that it is submitting a binding offer to acquire Spanish airline Air Europa. The decision has been communicated in a public disclosure statement posted on Turkish Airlines’ website on August 8, 2025. In this statement, the Turkish flag carrier mentions the complementarity of both airlines’ networks (particularly Air Europa’s strong presence in the Latin American market), as well as the potential of both carriers and their respective subsidiaries and joint ventures to generate new revenue streams together.
Privately-owned Air Europa attracted the interest of Europe’s major airline groups after a proposed acquisition by International Airlines Group (IAG) came under the scrutiny of the European competition authorities.
Air France-KLM made and later withdrew an offer for Air Europa. Lufthansa also assessed an acquisition of the Spanish airline but, in July 2025, refused to make an offer.
Turkish Airlines has also been conducting due diligence on Air Europa and, on June 20, 2025, had already stated its interest in the Spanish airline in a public statement.
Originally a charter airline, after the liberalization of the European airline market in the 1990s, Air Europa entered the scheduled air travel market and became Spain’s second largest airline, with a network that spans Europe and Latin America.
The European Commission feared that a merger with IAG’s Iberia, Air Europa’s main competitor, would seriously reduce competition in key routes within Spain and between Spain and Latin America.
In view of this opposition, IAG dropped the bid for Air Europa, despite already controlling 20% of its capital. However, once in play, the Spanish airline attracted the interest of other major airline groups
