A PYMNTS Company

OFT will not request European Commission for U.K. review of IAG-BMI deal

By  |  March 5, 2012

The OFT has announced its decision not to request the European Commission for a U.K. review of International Airlines Group’s proposed acquisition of Lufthansa’s bmi. International Airlines Group is the parent company of British Airways and Iberia. Given that the deal impacts routes across many jurisdictions, and the Commission’s own expertise in airline merger cases and the merging parties, the OFT determined that the European Commission would be best placed to consider the acquisition.

The OFT will continue to work with the Commission, given U.K. concern with how the deal will affect airports in Scotland, the North West of England, and Northern Ireland.

Full content: OFT Press Release

 

Related content: Why Airline Antitrust Immunity Benefits Consumers (Daniel Kasper, NYU Stern School of Business, Compass Lexecon & Darin Lee, NYU Stern School of Business)