Chile's Supreme Court bars LATAM JVs with American and IAG

Chile's Supreme Court has struck down proposed joint ventures by LATAM Airlines with Oneworld partners American Airlines and IAG, siding with appeals filed against the deals last year by Chilean tourism and consumer organisations. Four judges behind the court's decision say that the proposed joint ventures will result in the airlines acquiring a market position that would be "difficult to challenge" in an industry that already has high barriers to entry. The court's move to prohibit the proposed deals covers only the passenger air transportation market, leaving LATAM free to form cargo agreements with American and IAG, say the judges in their written decision. Prior to the appeal, the joint ventures were cleared by Chile's anti-trust tribunal and had also secured approvals from Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay. <br/>