On Tuesday 12 December, the European Commission approved the planned acquisition of several assets of Air Berlin by easyJet, under the EU rules on mergers.
This acquisition comes after Air Berlin filed for bankruptcy on 15 August of this year, after Etihad withdrew its financial support from the German airline. EasyJet then proposed to acquire assets and licenses held by the insolvent company in the framework of its passenger transport activities at Berlin Tegel airport, including slots, which are authorisations to take off and land at predetermined times.
The Commission has examined this transaction, which was notified to it on 7 November. The institution first considered that an increase in easyJet's portfolio of slots as a direct consequence of its purchase of Air Berlin assets, in certain airports, including Berlin Tegel, would have no adverse consequences for passengers, as it is not expected to lead to any increases in ticket prices. It then noted that the UK company still faced significant competition from other airlines, such as Lufthansa and Ryanair, for flights taking off from and landing in Berlin. The Commission consequently concluded that the planned acquisition of certain assets of the defunct German airline would not bring about any competition distortions on the single market and therefore cleared the transaction.
Furthermore, the institution has announced that it will return its decision on the first stage of the investigation into the acquisition by Lufthansa of most of Air Berlin's assets by 21 December. The transaction was notified to it on 31 October and its verdict was expected by 7 December (see EUROPE 11907). (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)