Korean Air is expected to transfer control of five passenger jets and dispatch around 100 pilots to T’way Air, in a move to alleviate monopoly concerns claimed by European antitrust authorities regarding its takeover of Asiana Airlines, according to industry officials, Monday. Once the European Commission (EC) approves Korean Air's takeover of Asiana, T’way will secure rights from Korean Air to operate routes from Korea to Frankfurt, Paris, Rome and Barcelona. This comes in response to the European authority’s repeated objections to the high-profile acquisition. Earlier, the EC said the deal could hamper fair competition in the aforementioned air routes. It is also known to have demanded Korean Air allow T’way to operate the four routes to Europe for at least three years without retrieving slots for the routes during that period. Aviation industry sources said Korean Air is still fine-tuning the details before possibly receiving EC approval for the takeover. “Two key proposals made by Korean Air include the transfer of passenger jets and traffic rights, and sales of Asiana’s cargo business,” an industry official said. “The industry expects the EC to make its decision on whether to approve the long-dragged takeover sometime as early as the end of October.” It remains unclear whether the low-cost carrier (LCC) will be able to operate the routes to Europe stably. If it fails to do so, it may end up giving up the slots to overseas counterparts. In any case, the EC is expected to disallow Korean Air to regain the rights, citing monopolistic concerns in the routes after acquiring Asiana, and as such, the EC is reviewing the financial structures of T’way. “We cannot share our official stance for the time being, as was agreed upon with the European authority. But details will be made public soon,” a spokesman at Korean Air said.<br/>