The planned global tie-up between British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia has moved closer to securing a regulatory green light in Europe.
Both BA and the European Commission, Europe's top anti-trust watchdog, confirmed yesterday that competition officials had started consulting with rival airlines, such as Virgin Atlantic, about the concessions the three carriers had offered to address potential anti- competitive implications of the deal.
The fact that Brussels has started to consult on the commitments offered is a strong indication that discussions between the three carriers in the proposed alliance and commission officials have been productive in recent months.