American Airlines buys TWA

American Airlines says it has bought most of the assets of another United States airline, TWA, which was heavily in debt.

American is reported to be paying five-hundred-million dollars for TWA's nearly two-hundred aircraft, as well as air routes and airport gates. Under the deal, American will offer jobs to most of TWA's twenty-thousand employees. American said it had also bought part of the assets of US Airways for one-point-two-billion dollars, and had agreed to buy a forty-nine percent stake in the much smaller DC Air for eighty-two-million dollars.

Correspondents say the deals -- which must be approved by the airline regulating authorities -- will leave the two United States airline giants, American and United, in control of half of the domestic market.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service