Press Release: Mergers: Commission clears proposed joint acquisition of Virgin Atlantic by Delta and Virgin Group

The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed acquisition of joint control over Virgin Atlantic by Delta and Virgin Group. Delta will replace Singapore Airlines as a 49% minority shareholder in Virgin Atlantic, while Virgin Group will retain its 51% stake. Furthermore, Delta and Virgin Atlantic will enter into a fully integrated joint venture in order to bring together their passenger air transport operations on routes between the United Kingdom and North America. The Commission's investigation confirmed that in all markets the combined entity would continue to face competition from several strong competitors, notably British Airways and American Airlines.