British Airways Reportedly Considers Link With KLM

British Airways, Europe’s biggest airline, wants to link with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines by the end of the summer, the Sunday Times reported.

A BA spokeswoman declined to comment on “media speculation.” The newspaper also said that if American Airlines parent AMR Corp. manages to buy Northwest Airlines Corp., the four airlines could then form a “transatlantic super-alliance.”

The report comes as the structure of the global airline industry and its various alliances are thrown into question by UAL Corp.’s plans to buy US Airways Group Inc. for $11.6 billion, creating an airline with almost 7,000 daily flights spanning the U.S. and with a broader reach in Europe. Within days of that May 25 announcement, reports emerged that AMR was considering buying Northwest. Any new airline marriages would force airlines to reexamine their links.