This Friday begins the second and definitive phase of analysis by the European Commission on the purchase operation of Air Europa by the parent company of Iberia, Airlines Group (IAG) to ensure that the operation does not harm competition in the Spanish aeronautical market.
IAG presented in December the formal notification of its purchase proposal to the European Commission, which gave rise to the first phase of evaluation by Brussels and which concludes this week, but it will not be enough given the complexity of the process.
Precisely for this reason IAG decided to present its new scheme of concessions of its routes to other companies, which is confidential until the process is completed, during the second phase, much longer, and which is expected to conclude with a report from Brussels at the beginning of the summer.
In statements collected by the tourism news portal preferente.com, IAG says that its offer, on this occasion is "significantly higher" than the one Brussels rejected in 2021.
"The proposal is increased to guarantee strong competition on all routes. A broader approach is also proposed as several companies have shown great interest in being awarded, which shows the importance and feasibility of the package," explained sources from the company.
IAG argues that the purchase will be positive for Spain because it will facilitate at least 500 new combinations of origin and destination, in addition to improving flight schedules and connections.
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