BA planning next merger

British Airways, still in the process of sorting out its merger with Iberia, is already casting its eye further afield and will be ready to do another deal next year.The merger of BA and the Spanish carrier, creating an umbrella company called International Airlines Group (IACG), should be done and dusted by the end of 2010.It will create a company capable of "scaling the business by either merging with other airlines or acquiring other airlines", BA boss Willie Walsh told the Aviation Club in London."The ambition is truly global," he said. "The intention is to be in a position to avail of opportunities if they present themselves, certainly within the first year of operation."Although Walsh hasn't named names, it's widely thought he'd like to reopen talks with Australia's Qantas, held a couple of years ago. A deal fell through after they failed to agree terms.Others suggest TAP of Portugal, Poland's LOT, Finnair, or Brazilian carrier TAM could make it onto BA's shopping list."IAG is not putting BA and Iberia together; IAG is creating a platform that can compete on a global scale," Walsh said.He also repeated a warning that BA will be forced to grow from Madrid rather than Heathrow if the UK government didn't build the infrastructure required to support the increasing demand for air travel."We can compete effectively for a few years, maybe 10 years, but 20 years from now the UK is going to be bypassed because we won't have the infrastructure to support the demand that exists." Bay Capital