Madrid, June 8 (EFE).- Iberia is finalizing the Air Europa route transfer package that it must present to Brussels this coming Monday to overcome the problems of concentration of the offer that would allow it to have the approval of the community authorities in the purchase operation of the Globalia airline.
However, it is possible that the European Commission in its analysis of the operation – on which it has until July 15 to rule – activates a “clock stop” if it needs additional information.
The Madrid-based group has made public the airlines that would be interested in taking those routes that it must get rid of, which are Avianca, Binter, Iberojet, Ryanair, Volotea and World to Fly.
What it has not detailed are the routes and frequencies that it could transfer to these other airlines (‘remedies’ in community jargon) but it has recalled that they are willing to transfer up to 40% of those operated by Air Europa in 2023 and not leave even a single link without competitors.
Four and a half years have now passed since Iberia’s first agreement – integrated into the IAG group along with British Airways, Vueling, Aer Língus and Level – with the Hidalgo family, owners of Globalia and Air Europa, for which the former would pay 1,000 million euros in cash for control of the latter. After the pandemic, the final figure was reduced to 500 million.
This week, the vice president of the European Commission responsible for Competition, Margrethe Vestager, held a high-level meeting with the CEOs of IAG and Iberia, Luis Gallego and Marco Sansavini, respectively, although neither Brussels nor the airline group gave details. .
In the last “objections document” published on this purchase, at the end of last April, the community authorities reflected the problems they detected in the operation, especially in a series of routes for which they believe there may be an increase in prices or a worse quality of the offer.
The Competition Services of the Community Executive are concerned about the effect of the merger on long-distance routes between Madrid and North and South America, as well as on connections with the two Spanish archipelagos and certain European links.
This second purchase attempt was officially notified to the European authorities on December 11, 2023. IAG now intends to acquire 80% of the capital of Air Europa that it does not yet control for 400 million euros, which are added to the 100 million euros that has already been disbursed for the remaining 20% in August 2022.
Now Iberia is more ambitious in its ‘remedies’ package and has offered the Commission to give Avianca, Binter, Iberojet, Ryanair, Volotea and World to Fly part of its routes and those of Air Europa to avoid competition problems.
Unlike the 2021 proposal, when a closed package was sent, this time Iberia has offered an open list so that Brussels can decide which options best fit its principle of protecting competition.
The Spanish-British group seeks a “balanced” agreement that sufficiently protects competition and, at the same time, places Madrid-Barajas as the great ‘hub’ (air traffic connection center) of southern Europe, to boost connectivity and improve routes to Asia.
This would also allow it to compete and get closer to the large European hubs, such as Paris-Charles De Gaulle, Amsterdam-Schiphol (the two where the Air France-KLM airlines are based) or Frankfurt, the headquarters of the group headed by Lufthansa. . EFE
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