SkyTeam welcomes Aeroflot bid for membership = = = = Thursday January 29, 11:47 AM EST = (Adds details from statement) PARIS, Jan 29 (Reuters) - SkyTeam, the airline alliance spearheaded by Ai= r France (AIRF) and Delta Air Lines (DAL), welcomed on Thursday a bid by = Russia's Aeroflot to become a member but said several hurdles still stood= in the way. "Given Aeroflot's extensive hub network and existing bilateral relationsh= ips with two SkyTeam members, the carrier is a natural candidate for memb= ership in SkyTeam," said Dominique Patry, vice president of alliances and= international affairs at Air France. In a statement SkyTeam said that Aeroflot membership depended on the Russ= ian government and on the airline's fulfilment of quality standards requi= red for all SkyTeam members. Officials at Aeroflot were not immediately available for comment. In addition to Air France and Delta, SkyTeam includes Aeromexico , Alital= ia (AZPIa), CSA Czech Airlines and Korean Air (003490). Dutch airline KLM (KLM), which is being taken over by Air France, is also= due to join the alliance. = =A92003 Reuters Limited. = Roger EWROPS