EU to decide on Oneworld alliance before July-end

The European Commission (EU) is likely to decide before end July whether or not to give antitrust clearance to the Oneworld airline alliance, operated by British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia Lineas Aereas de Espana, Dow Jones reported.

Asked about the timing of the commission's decision, competition spokeswoman Amelia Torres said the commission's decision "could be before the end of the month."

In the US, the Department of Transportation, which is also reviewing the alliance, has already completed its probe, and is waiting for the commission's announcement, according to people familiar with the deal.

Oneworld is the smallest of three existing alliances, and the antitrust clearance would give Oneworld parity with the flexibility already exploited by Air France-KLM and Delta Air Lines in SkyTeam; and carriers including United Airlines, Continental Airlines and Germany's Deutsche Lufthansa in Star Alliance.
(Source:www.cargonewsasia.com)