By Dominic Chopping
Norwegian Air Shuttle said Friday it has delivered a comprehensive response to the Norwegian Competition Authority after the regulator last month said it was considering halting the airline’s proposed acquisition of Wideroe amid fears the deal could weaken competition in Norway.
“Norwegian strongly disagrees with the NCA’s preliminary assessment,” the airline said in a statement. “Norwegian is also disappointed that the majority of documentation provided to the NCA, both written and during meetings, have not been taken into account.”
The low-cost carrier outlined a 1.13 billion Norwegian-kroner ($104 million) all-cash deal for regional airline Wideroe in July.
In its response to the NCA, it said it has highlighted its complementarity with Wideroe and that the two airlines are not close competitors. It said that, of a combined network of over 400 routes, only two are overlapping and they are served by three separate airlines.
“In a consultation statement provided in 2021, the NCA stated that based on empirical data, two competing airlines are enough to ensure sufficient competition on a specific route. In its preliminary statement regarding the acquisition of Wideroe, NCA has moved away from these statements,” Norwegian said.
The deadline for the Competition Authority’s final conclusion is Jan. 3, 2024.
Write to Dominic Chopping at [email protected]
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