EU to probe Brussels Airlines-TAP Portugal codeshare

EU regulators have formally raised antitrust concerns over a codeshare between Brussels Airlines and TAP Portugal, but have dropped a similar probe against Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines. The EU inquiry into the Brussels Airlines and TAP Portugal codeshare on flights between Brussels and Lisbon was started in Feb 2011. Oct 27, the EC said it has issued a statement of objections to the airlines. “We are concerned that in this particular case Brussels Airlines and TAP Portugal may have used their codeshare to restrict competition and harm passengers’ interests,” EU commissioner of competition policy Margrethe Vestager said. The probe relates to the first 3 years of a codeshare signed in 2009, under which Brussels Airlines and TAP Portugal sold unlimited seats on one another’s flights between Brussels and Lisbon. <br/>