Interim approval granted for Middle Eastern cooperation agreements.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has just issued interim approvals for proposed cooperation agreements between Air Berlin and its 29% shareholder Etihad Airways, as well as a separate pact between Emirates and its sister carrier Flydubai, as exclusively flagged last week by Travel Daily.
Etihad and Air Berlin are now permitted “to engage in joint pricing, scheduling and marketing of air passenger services between Germany and Australia,” while the ACCC has also granted interim approval to the Affiliation Agreement between Emirates and Flydubai.
Etihad and Air Berlin propose coordinating their operations via Abu Dhabi, with codeshares already in place for Air Berlin passengers flying from points in Germany through Abu Dhabi and into Australia.
And Emirates and Flydubai have also requested a ruling to give them legal certainty which will allow them to promote joint services in the Australian market including coordinated operations on flights between Australia and Dubai and on ‘behind and beyond’ EK and Flydubai services.
ACCC chairman Rod Sims said that the ACCC had taken into account that granting interim authorisation is unlikely to result in permanent changes to the relevant markets, and that it is reasonable for the proposed alliances to begin being marketed.
Interim authorisation commences immediately and remains in place until a final decision is made by the ACCC.
“The granting of interim authorisation in no way binds the ACCC in its consideration of the substantive application for authorisation,” Sims said.
Submissions on both proposed alliances are due by 24 May.
More information in tomorrow’s Travel Daily.