Northwest seeks SEA partner

Northwest seeks SEA partner

NEW YORK (Reuters): Northwest Airlines Corp, fresh on the heels of a pact with China Air, is looking for a partner in Southeast Asia and would consider taking an equity stake if necessary, Northwest Chairman Gary Wilson said Tuesday.

Wilson, who was in New York to announce a code-sharing agreement with Air China, said the company has been looking "at a number of major airlines in Southeast Asia."

When asked if Northwest would consider an equity stake in another airline, such as its stake in Continental Airlines, Wilson told Reuters: "We're a company that has grown through alliances, but if it takes a little capital...there are some Southeast Asian carriers that are having financial problems. We're looking at a number of them, but nothing major, nothing on the scale of Continental."

In January Northwest purchased a 14 percent stake in Continental and also entered a code-sharing agreement with the Houston-based airline.