European Commission approves British Airways-Iberia merger
European Commission formally (14-Jul-2010) approved the planned merger between British Airways and Iberia. The Commission concluded that the transaction would not significantly impede effective competition in the European Economic Area (EEA) or any substantial part of it and has not placed any conditions on the merger. Both carriers are members of the oneworld alliance and their activities overlap in the areas of passenger and cargo transport, ground handling and MRO. The airlines received regulatory approval from US authorities last month. British Airways stated these approvals are "another important" step towards the completion of the merger which is scheduled to take place by the end of 2010. [more - European Commission] [more - British Airways]