Finnair defers one A350, "happy" with A320ceo amid neo mess

UK watchdog resumes probe into IAG-AA-Finnair partnership

The United Kingdom's competition watchdog is resuming a longstanding investigation into a transatlantic partnership between American Airlines, members of IAG International Airlines Group (British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus), and Finnair in the context of post-Covid recovery in the aviation sector.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on September 28 announced that the renewed probe into the Atlantic Joint Business Agreement (AJBA) between the five airlines will run until March 2024. It is liaising with the US Department of Transportation (DOT) but has stressed that no assumption should be made that the AJBA infringes UK competition law. Under the agreement's terms, the five airlines agreed not to compete on routes between the UK and the US.

The investigation dates back to 2018, when the CMA first launched a competition probe into the partnership, in line with a similar inquiry by the European Commission between 2009 and 2010. Following the EU probe, Brussels accepted 10-year binding commitments from the parties to address competition concerns on six UK/European-US routes: London-Boston, London-...

Surinam Airways resumes in-house widebody operations

Finnair adapts its current fleet to a reshaped world

EC voices concerns about Korean Air - Asiana merger

Less than three months before a decision date deadline, the European Commission continues to hold concerns that the merger between Korean Air (KE, Seoul Incheon) and Asiana Airlines (OZ, Seoul Incheon) may have a significant competitive impact.

In a statement, the European Commission said that it has sent Korean Air a statement of their objections to the proposed merger. This follows the opening of an in-depth investigation in February. The European Commission is the EU's executive arm. Specifically, the commission has concerns on two fronts, including that the provision of passenger transport services may be reduced on four routes between South Korea and France, Germany, Italy, and Spain and that the provision of cargo transport services may be reduced between all of Europe and South Korea.

"Korean Air and Asiana compete head-to-head in carrying passengers and cargo between the EEA (European Economic Area) and South Korea. Together, they would be by far the largest carriers of passengers and cargo on these routes and the merger may remove an important alternative for customers," reads the...