Iberia offers new transfers to Brussels to make buying Air Europa easier

Iberia offers a new package again concessions to other airlines To European Commission to try and smooth out his decision to buy Air Europa. Company sources say the improvements are the result of a “constructive dialogue” with the community executive, ensuring that the purchase of Air Europa is carried out with “full guarantees for consumers”.

Presentation of this improved offer of “protection equipment” (compensations), which the company did not specify, also assumes “automatic expansion” 15 working days deadline for final decision about the operation to which are added another 10 working days more to “spend more time studying medications.” The airline had until Monday, June 10 to raise the price. final offeralthough the deadline for the Commission to make a decision was July 15, and this period will now be extended by another 25 days, which is already at the very beginning month of August.

Fear of the department he leads Margrethe Vestager, is responsible for analyzing an operation that accumulates almost five years of negotiations, is that the merger of both companies reduce competition V national routesespecially in those where there is no alternative to high speed trains such as routes Madrid-Bilbao or Madrid-Vigo, which is operated only by Iberia and Air Europa. Thus, if Air Europa integrates with Iberia, IAG will receive monopoly in these markets.

And the same thing will happen in case short distance routes between Madrid and Israel, Morocco, UK and Switzerland.in which both airlines offer direct service, and in long distance routes between Madrid and North and South Americawho face “competition from only a few established competitors.”

To solve this problem, Iberia has committed scrap more than 40% of Air Europa flights in 2023as well as flight schedules in the “most in demand” slots and sent a list of six competitors (Avianca, Binter, Iberojet, Ryanair, Volotea and World to Fly) that could absorb these routes For avoid restricting competition in them. A proposal to which he has now made some “adjustments” to try to persuade Brussels to give the go-ahead for the operation.

The company he runs Marco Sansavini states that its goal is to “create more competitive market which benefits consumers,” understanding this operation as a way to strengthen Madrid-Barajas Airport so that it can compete with large airfields such as Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdameach of which houses the headquarters of one dominant airline.