27/01/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission, on Tuesday 27 January, opened an in-depth investigation into the planned acquisition of SN AirHolding (SNAH) of Belgium by Lufthansa of Germany. SNAH is the holding company of SN Brussels Airlines. The Commission is concerned inter alia about the dominance the new air passenger transport entity would enjoy on several routes between Belgium and Germany and Belgium and Switzerland: the company would hold the monopoly on the routes between Brussels and Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich, and would substantially reduce competition on the Brussels-Berlin, Brussels,-Zurich and Brussels-Geneva routes. Lufthansa already controls Swiss International Air Lines Ltd. of Switzerland, Air Dolomiti, Eurowings and low-cost carrier Germanwings. The corrective measures proposed by Lufthansa on 5 January 2009 were not found to be sufficiently clear-cut to remove the Commission's serious doubts. The Commission now has until 10 June 2009, to take a final decision. (C.D./transl.rt)