NEW YORK--American Airlines, the second-largest U.S. carrier, is considering investing in Japan Airlines jointly with leading U.S. investment fund TPG, it was learned Wednesday.

According to a report by Bloomberg, American Airlines and TPG plan to invest more than 300 million dollars (27 billion yen) in the financially ailing JAL. By making a cash infusion into JAL, American Airlines apparently aims to gain the edge over Delta Air Lines in the competition to cement business links with JAL.

It is possible that TPG will help work out a corporate revival plan for JAL if the airline and the government accept that, sources close to American Airlines told The Yomiuri Shimbun.

JAL has announced that it filed for assistance from the Enterprise Turnaround Initiative Corporation of Japan and has been studying how to rehabilitate its businesses.

If the envisaged joint investment from American Airlines and TPG is realized, the plan likely will include support measures such as expanding code-sharing arrangements with American Airlines.

Delta 'to bear transfer costs'

Meanwhile, Delta, the largest U.S. airline, has told JAL it is willing to bear the costs required to transfer from Oneworld, the global airline alliance to which it currently belongs, to SkyTeam, Delta's alliance, if JAL forms a business partnership with it, it has been learned.