Commenting on the announcement today that British Airways is in merger talks with Iberia, Jim McAuslan, General Secretary of the British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA) said:

'We have been anticipating this for some time. We are already in discussions with the pilot association in Spain.. We support these merger talks. Consolidation within the airline industry is inevitable and a merger of BA with Iberia makes good sense.

'We trust the two companies will take their pilots fully into the process and consult with BALPA and the Spanish pilots' association very closely indeed. Pilots have a lot to offer in the planning stages and want to be full partners in this enterprise.

'We do not expect any pilot job losses. Consolidation should lead to growth as has been found in the Air France/KLM venture.'