The European Commission unconditionally clears the Vinci’s acquisition of the UK-based Gatwick Airport
The European Commission has recently published the public version of its decision made in the Vinci Airports/Gatwick Airport ( Case M.9270 ) that approved a vertical merger in the airport sector. By the proposed merger, Vinci Airports (Vinci) acquired the sole control of Ivy Topco Limited (ITL) that indirect controls Gatwick Airport Limited (GAL), the manager of the London-based Gatwick Airport. The Commission took the view that this merger operation did not rise any serious competition concerns and authorized it without imposing any conditions on the merging parties. Quite oddly, in spite of the fact that Vinci manages and operates several airports in the EU, the Commission did not believe that the transaction would have horizontal anti-competitive effects in the market for management and operation of airport infrastructures. Instead, the Commission was worried about the possible vertical anti-competitive effects. In that regard, it identified two vertical relationships between