The EU’s new antitrust commissioner, Didier Reynders, plans to tighten the rules for airline mergers.
To promote fair competition, the EU will require airlines to allocate valuable airport slots to rivals on routes with competition concerns. Additionally, airlines may be asked to divest non-core assets as part of the merger approval process.
This shift comes in response to evidence that previous slot concessions were not always effective. Reynders emphasised the need for more efficient remedies beyond slot allocation.
