Luxair mounts legal challenge over Lufthansa–ITA merger
Luxembourg-based airline Luxair has launched legal action at the European Union’s General Court, challenging a key aspect of the European Commission’s approval of the Lufthansa–ITA Airways merger.
The airline said it filed proceedings on 28 April, questioning how the European Commission handled slot remedies as part of the merger clearance process.
Although Luxair stressed that it does not oppose the merger itself, nor is it targeting Lufthansa or ITA directly, the airline believes the Commission’s remedy package unfairly distorts competition at Milan Linate Airport.
Under the terms of the approval, the Commission cleared the merger following commitments from Lufthansa and ITA to address competition concerns on certain short-haul routes and at Linate.
However, Luxair is challenging the decision to award all the released airport slots at Linate to a single carrier.
In its filing, Luxair argued that the slot allocation approach conflates two separate issues: competition on short-haul routes and the already limited access to Milan Linate, one of Italy’s most capacity-constrained airports.
According to Luxair, bundling the two concerns and awarding the entire slot package to a single competitor effectively locks out smaller regional airlines, denying them a chance to compete on a level playing field.
The airline stated that its challenge is aimed at protecting market fairness rather than opposing consolidation.
