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The Commission, which oversees EU antitrust policy, said it had concerns that the proposed transaction would reduce competition for Spanish domestic routes and on international routes to and from
The body said it had 90 working days until 5 November to take a decision and that the airlines had decided not to submit potential remedies during the initial investigation.
The deal, which was struck at the beginning of the year, was initially due to close in the second half of 2021.
The decision to investigate comes after increased scrutiny on EU competition rules for the aviation industry after the pandemic.
“IAG, which flies with Iberia and Vueling among others, and
“We will carefully assess whether the proposed transaction would negatively affect competition on domestic, short-haul and long-haul routes to and from
She added that, although the financial situation of many airlines was still fragile, it was important that the recovery of the sector took place in a competitive environment, preserving choice for customers.
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