Meetings between the Franco-Dutch group and the European Commission have intensified this year
RR | Miami | August 14, 2024
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RELATED TOPICS: Air Europa, Air France, European Commission, Globalia, Halcón Viajes, IAG, Iberia, Miami, Pepe Hidalgo, Travelplan
Data has come to light that supports suspicions of the more than possible influence of France in Brussels’ decision to reject the purchase of Air Europa by Iberia, which after almost five years did not bear fruit due to the obstacles placed by the Community Executive. According to Vozpópuli, Air France multiplied its meetings with commissioners in the months prior to the European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition issuing its opinion.
Between January and July this year, representatives of the Franco-Dutch group held a total of eight meetings with members of the Community Executive, an activity that is far from that which appears in the records of 2023, when only two meetings in 12 months are recorded.
The official version is that these meetings addressed climate issues, competitiveness and the future of the airline sector, although sources consulted by the aforementioned media outlet affirm that they usually serve to raise risks or alerts for the airline, such as the integration of Air Europa into IAG, a direct rival of Air France-KLM.
As published PreferentialBefore Iberia withdrew its purchase offer, expert sources close to the operation had already warned that both Germany and France had exerted strong pressure in order to stop the operation.
They also confirm that the Spanish government chose to stay out of the operation in the final phase, a version confirmed by the owner of Air Europa himself, Juan José Hidalgo.
The attitude of Pedro Sánchez’s Executive is far from that shown by the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, who did support the approval of the partial purchase of the loss-making flag carrier of her country, Ita Airways, by Lufthansa.
As reported by REPORTUR.usGlobalia’s president, Pepe Hidalgo, hours after learning that Iberia’s offer for Air Europa had been withdrawn, welcomed the decision, saying that “it was a happy day” because the sale agreement he had signed had not been fulfilled, and for which his group had pocketed more than 100 million euros in two compensation payments. (Hidalgo, “happy” that the sale to Iberia fell through despite having signed it).
Hidalgo, just after Iberia’s decision to withdraw from the purchase of Air Europa was confirmed, something that Preferente had announced in a scoop seven hours earlier, told Toro TV that the pandemic had cost him the loss of a Hotel in Tenerife and another in Mallorca, and especially Halcón Viajes and Travelplan.
