Delta Air Lines–Northwest Airlines merger

On April 15, 2008, Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines announced a merger agreement. The merger of the two carriers formed what was then the largest commercial airline in the world, with 786 aircraft. The merged airline is called "Delta Air Lines."

It had been reported as early as January 2008 that Delta and Northwest were in merger discussions. News reports covering the event and the official press release reported that the new airline would use the Delta name and have its headquarters in Atlanta. The proposed merger partners lost a combined $10.5 billion in first quarter 2008, an amount that exceeded their combined market capitalization.

When the airlines combined, the "new Delta" would be based in Atlanta with a network focused on its main hubs in Atlanta and Detroit, along with other hubs at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, Salt Lake City International Airport, Memphis International Airport (hub later closed in September 2013), Narita International Airport near Tokyo, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, and Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Richard Anderson was CEO of Northwest Airlines until 2004, the year before Northwest Airlines declared bankruptcy. Then in 2007 became CEO of Delta Air Lines when the merger took place.

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