German competition regulator Bundeskartellamt has cleared Polish firm Polska Grupa Lotnicza’s acquisition of leisure carrier Condor.
The regulator has determined that there is “no relevant overlap” between the activities of Condor – formerly part of Thomas Cook Group – and Polish flag-carrier LOT, a subsidiary of PGL.
Bundeskartellamt president Andreas Mundt says the companies actually “complement one another”, reinforcing Condor’s competitiveness against German giant Lufthansa.
“We were able to [close the approval] quickly and therefore help ensure that Condor has a future as an air transport company in Germany after the turmoil in recent months,” he adds.
Slots at some German airports are affected by the tie-up but the two carrier only have a relatively small number of slots.
“There are no merger-related competition problems,” the regulator says.
Condor was left as a standalone operation after the collapse of Thomas Cook Group last year.
It operates flights to some 80 destinations in the short-, medium- and long-haul sectors, and particularly to Mediterranean resorts. Condor does not operate services to Poland.
