Japan Airlines may stay tied up with American Airlines 

(MENAFN) The ailing carrier Japan Airlines (JAL), which declared bankruptcy last month, will keep its current tie-up with American Airlines and end its negotiations with Delta Air Lines, AFP reported.

US giants American Airlines and Delta Air Lines have been competing to take a stake in the troubled Japanese carrier despite its bankruptcy filing with $26 billion of debt, which was one of Japan's biggest ever corporate failures.

Media reports had previously said that JAL planned to switch to Delta, the world's biggest airline, and its SkyTeam airline alliance from American Airlines' Oneworld alliance as part of its restructuring plan. The ailing carrier feared that a switch to Atlanta-based Delta and SkyTeam would confuse its passengers and may not win antitrust immunity from US authorities because it would dominate the trans-Pacific market.

A spokesman from Japan Airlines did not confirm the media reports nor denied them, saying that nothing is decided on these issues and the reports are based on speculation.