The EU Commission could shake the takeover of Air Transat by Air Canada, because the competition watchdogs - unlike those in Canada - express serious concerns. In the home country of the two airlines, the transaction was waved through under certain conditions over the past few weeks.

For Air Canada, buying the competitor would be a real bargain, because the corona pandemic reduced the originally agreed price from 720 million US dollars to 190 million US dollars. Air Transat confirms that the antitrust approval in Europe is not yet dry. The EU Commission has requested additional information. Furthermore, the competition watchdogs are said to have signaled concerns. The Transat Group hopes that the green light will be given in the first half of 2021, but in the meantime several alternatives have been found.

According to the Canadian airline, both sides of the contract can now withdraw from the contract “at any time” without giving reasons. The deadline for antitrust approvals expired on Monday. The entrepreneur Pierre Karl Peladeau has now expressed his interest in a possible takeover of Air Transat. For a few days now, he has been campaigning against the purchase by Air Canada via social media, among other things. Among other things, he points out that the combined market share in traffic between Europe and Canada would be over 60 percent. According to Peladeau, this would not be eligible for approval, which is why Air Transat needs alternatives. At the same time, he offers himself as a buyer.