Ngemuva kokuvalwa kwezimakethe ngoLwesine ebusuku, ibhodi yeBritish Airways imashele emhlanganweni ehhovisi elikhulu, eduze kwaseHeathrow, mayelana nalokho okungaba yisikhathi esicacile senkampani yezindiza.
Ngasekuqaleni kosuku, ibhodi lase-Iberia lalihlangene eMadrid ukuze livumelane nemibandela yesivumelwano nomthwali waseBrithani, izinyanga ezingu-16 ngemuva kokuba izinhlangothi zombili zimemezele ukuthi zisezingxoxweni zokuhlanganisa. Isikhulu esiphezulu se-BA uWillie Walsh phambilini wayephakamise ukuthi ukuphathwa kwebhizinisi - ukwakheka kwebhodi - kube yinto ebambekayo ezingxoxweni. Kepha izingxoxo zashesha ngemuva koshintsho kubaphathi e-Iberia ehlobo. U-Antonio Vázquez, owathatha izintambo zenkampani yaseSpain, wathengisa inkampani kagwayi i-Altadis ku-Imperial Tobacco yaseBrithani ngo-2008 futhi unedumela lokuba ngumdayisi.
Kubukeka sengathi ukulahlekelwa okukhulu okutholwe yizo zombili izinkampani zezindiza kuqinise ukugxila kwezinkampani ezimbili ekwenzeni isivumelwano. Ngemva kwesikhathi esingaphezudlwana kwehora, ibhodi ye-BA yavela futhi isivumelwano sase sikhona. Isimemezelo sakhishwa ngo-8.30 ebusuku ngalobo busuku.
Lezi zinhlangothi zombili zithemba ukuthi isivumelwano sizobuyisela iqembu elihlanganisiwe enzuzweni, libavumele ukuthi banciphise izindleko futhi bathuthukise amandla okuthenga ngokuthandwa kukaphethiloli nezindiza, okwenza ukonga kwama-€400m (£357m) ngonyaka. Izophinde idale amathuba emali engenayo ephezulu ngokunikeza uhla olubanzi kakhulu lwemizila kubagibeli, ukuhlanganisa amandla e-BA ngaphesheya kwe-Atlantic nenethiwekhi ye-Iberia yonkana eNingizimu Melika. "Ukuhlanganiswa kuyenzeka embonini yethu futhi kubalulekile ukuthi i-BA iqale ukuhlanganyela kulokho," kusho uWalsh ngoLwesihlanu.
Okusho ukuthi, uma i-BA ingalungisa ukushoda kwayo kwempesheni - okucatshangwa ukuthi ilinganiselwa ku-£2.6bn. Izinhlelo zayo zizohlolwa ngokuhamba kwesikhathi kulo nyaka, emva kwalokho abaphathi bempesheni nabaphathi be-BA kuyodingeka baxoxisane ngokuthi inkampani yezindiza idinga imali engakanani ukuze ikwazi ukuqhubeka nokusebenza. Ngisho nangaleso sikhathi, isivumelwano sizodinga ukugxivizwa kwenjoloba ngumlawuli wezimpesheni, okungalindelekile ukuthi enze isinqumo kuze kube uSepthemba ozayo, futhi ukuhlanganiswa ngeke kuqedwe kuze kube yilapho udaba luxazululwa. Sekunesikhathi eside bethandana, futhi kuzothatha isikhathi eside.
“Bekuyisivumelwano ebesilinde ukwenziwa nobekufanele senziwe,” kusho omunye umthombo osondelene nesivumelwano. “I-Europe izogcina ihlukaniswe yaba izindiza ezintathu noma ezine ezisebenza ngokugcwele kanye nenkampani ethwala izindleko eziphansi eyodwa noma ezimbili. Ezinyangeni eziyisishiyagalolunye ezedlule, i-BA yayikhuluma ngokuhlangana neQantas, isivumelwano ne-Iberia kanye nomfelandawonye we-transatlantic ne-American. U-Qantas uwile ... futhi uWillie ubedinga ukudonsa okungenani oyedwa wabanye. "
Ngokuvuma kuka-Walsh, i-BA ibilokhu “ilwela ukusinda” ingxenye enkulu yalo nyaka. Kule minyaka eyishumi edlule, imboni yezindiza iye yasuka enhlekeleleni iye kwenye: ukuhlasela kwamaphekula kwango-2001, usongo lwamabhomu awuketshezi, iSars, umkhuhlane wezingulube kanye nokukhuphuka kwentengo kawoyela. I-BA nayo iphinde yabhekana nezinkinga ngokuvulwa kwesizinda sayo esisha e-Heathrow, i-Terminal Five, abaningi abavumayo manje ukuthi isiphendulwe impumelelo.
Kepha kube ukuwohloka komnotho emhlabeni wonke okudale umonakalo omkhulu: I-BA ilahlekelwa yi-£1.6ma ngosuku. Ngasekuqaleni kwale nyanga, ibike ukulahlekelwa kwesigamu sonyaka kwe-£292m phezu kokulahlekelwa okurekhodiwe kwe-£401m ngonyaka odlule. Kuzobe kungokokuqala emlandweni wale nkampani ukuthi iqophe iminyaka emibili ilandelana kubomvu.
Isivumelwano ne-Iberia samukelwe kabanzi yiDolobha. Le nkampani entsha izongenisa imali engenayo yonyaka ka-£13.5bn - okuyenza ibe inkampani yezindiza yesithathu ngobukhulu emhlabeni - ithwala abagibeli abangu-61.5m futhi indizele ezikhumulweni zezindiza ezingama-205. Ikomkhulu layo lizoba seLondon, nakuba lihlala eMadrid ngezinhloso zentela, kanti isikhulu esiphezulu sakwaWalsh kanye noVázquez njengosihlalo. Yomibili le mikhiqizo izoqhubeka nokuba khona.
UJohn Strickland, ongumeluleki wezindiza, uthi i-BA ibilokhu "izizwa isele ngemuva kakhulu" njengoba izimbangi zayo i-Air France ne-KLM zihlangana futhi iLufthansa yathatha i-Swiss International Airlines ngo-2005 kwase kulandela i-Brussels Airlines, i-Austrian Airlines kanye nenkampani yenkampani yaseBrithani i-BMI.
"I-Air France-KLM iyisibonelo esihle sokuhlangana kwezindiza," usho kanje. “Bekuyisivumelwano ebesingagcwele igazi kubasebenzi. Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi kwakuyi-pragmatism noma ukubona izinto kusengaphambili, babegcina izinhlobo ezimbili namahhovisi amakhulu amabili asebenzayo. Babheke ukongiwa kwezindleko kodwa kwakungesona isihluku ngokwesintu futhi amakhasimende agcinwe ejabule. Kodwa kube nokukhuphuka okukhulu kwemali engenayo. Kube yindaba eyodwa hlanganisa nokukodwa ilingana nokuthathu… Kuyimodeli esebenzile futhi into u-BA no-Iberia abazobe befunde kuyo.”
U-Walsh, 48, owajoyina i-BA ngo-2005, wenza uphawu e-Aer Lingus, lapho ajoyina khona njengomshayeli wamabhanoyi futhi wasebenza indlela yakhe yokufika kumphathi omkhulu. Waguqula ibhizinisi laba umqhubi wezindleko eziphansi onolaka futhi ngenkathi elapho wachitha iminyaka emibili e-Mallorca, lapho aqhuba khona i-Futura, inkampani yezindiza eqashiwe ephethwe yiqembu lase-Ireland. ISpanishi sakhe, ngokusobala, asisibi kangako.
Kubonakala kungenakwenzeka ukuthi u-Walsh uzoba nesikhathi esiningi sokuphefumula ngemuva kokuvala isivumelwano. Izisebenzi ze-BA cabin zisabise ngesiteleka ngenxa yokulahleka kwemisebenzi kanye nezinguquko ezimisweni zabo; inkampani yezindiza isivele isika izikhala eziyi-4,900. Izinyunyana nazo ziyisithiyo esingase sibe yisithiyo esivumelwaneni sase-Iberia, zifuna isiqiniseko sokuthi ngeke kuphinde kube nokudicilelwa phansi umsebenzi okuyimpoqo ukuze bathole ukwesekwa ngokuboleka imali. Futhi i-BA isalinde isinqumo esivela eWashington naseBrussels ngobudlelwano bayo ne-American Airlines.
“Izinkinga ze-BA zinkulu kodwa ngokungangabazeki azimbi kakhulu kunezanoma ubani omunye,” kusho uStrickland. “Futhi abakhubazekile, noma banyakazisa izithupha zabo; basebenza emikhakheni eyahlukene ukuze bathuthukise isimo… Futhi ngokuyinhloko, abasebenzi balume inhlamvu futhi babona isidingo soshintsho. U-Willie Walsh ubhekwa kahle kakhulu ngabatshalizimali futhi isivumelwano ne-Iberia siyipulangwe elibalulekile ekuqhubekeleni phambili. Kuwuphaphe ekepisini lakhe.”
LOKHO ONGAKUTHATHE KULESI SIHLOKO:
- Earlier in the day, the board of Iberia had met in Madrid to agree the terms of a deal with the British carrier, 16 months after the two sides had announced that they were in merger talks.
- The two sides hope the deal will return the combined group to profitability, allowing them to slash costs and improve buying power on the likes of fuel and aircraft, generating savings of €400m (£357m) a year.
- Even then, the agreement will need rubber-stamping by the pensions regulator, which is not expected to make a ruling until next September, and the merger will not be completed until the issue is resolved.
