Press Release: Mergers: Commission approves acquisition of Belgian ground handling service provider Aviapartner by LBO France

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of Aviapartner of Belgium by WFS of France, ultimately controlled by funds managed by LBO France. Aviapartner and WFS both provide ground handling and other freight related services. The Commission's investigation showed that the merged entity would continue to face strong competition from ground handlers in all affected markets, that barriers to entry were generally rather low, thus allowing for possible new entrants, and that customers wielded significant buyer power.