Dow Jones Newswires | President Richard Branson of Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. has spoken of merging the airline with another to keep it big enough to compete with rival carriers, U.K. newspaper The Times reports Tuesday.

He said that the airline might not be able to remain independent as the pace of industry consolidation picks up, according to the newspaper.

“If it becomes impossible for us to remain an independent airline and
survive, we may come to a situation where we have to consolidate,”
Branson said.

Virgin Atlantic is 49 percent owned by Singapore Airlines, which is
understood to want to sell its stake, raising the possibility of a deal
with another carrier, the newspaper said.