Competition watchdog clears ANA’s proposed acquisition of Nippon Cargo Airlines

Singapore’s competition watchdog has assessed that ANA Holdings’ proposed acquisition of Japanese cargo airline Nippon Cargo Airlines (NCA) will not result in a substantial lessening of competition within any market in Singapore. The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) said on May 24 that it arrived at this conclusion after a six-month review, which also took into account public feedback. The commission launched the review after ANA and NCA submitted an application on Dec 7, 2023, arguing that the proposed acquisition will not result in a substantial lessening of competition in these markets. In Singapore, ANA – Japan’s biggest airline – provides both international air passenger transport and air cargo transport to and from Singapore. The business activity that is relevant to the proposed acquisition is its operations in international air cargo transport. ANA uses dedicated cargo planes, or freighters, as well as passenger planes to transport cargo. NCA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese logistics company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, and is Japan’s sole cargo-only airline company. It provides international cargo transport, including services such as air freighting and handling services for a diverse range of cargo types.<br/>