EU clears Iberia tie to BA
BRITISH AIRWAYS (BA) has landed approval from European competition regulators to allow its merger with Iberia and joint venture with American Airlines (AA) to go through.
The European Commission (EC) yesterday gave antitrust clearance to the airlines to launch the three-way partnership, which will include slot sharing in London and New York.
Although the Department of Transport (DOT) in the US has yet to grant the airlines antitrust immunity, BA chief executive Willie Walsh said he welcomed yesterday’s decision as an important and vital step forward.
He said: “This is a pragmatic decision so that we can get the joint business up and running as soon as possible.”
The EC also gave its approval to the BA and Iberia merger with no conditions allowing the two airlines to create the International Airlines Group (IAG).
Once BA has received full regulatory approval, the Iberia merger and AA joint venture will be launched towards the latter part of the year.