Following an announcement by the Competition Commission of South Africa to block a merger between Safair and Airlink, Airlink has since issued a statement saying that they will appeal the decision. The full statement issued by Airlink reads as follows:
Airlink and Safair are disappointed to learn from the Competition Commission that it has not approved the proposed Airlink acquisition of Safair.
We respectfully disagree with the decision and the points the Commission has raised to justify its decision. With this in mind, we will approach the Competition Tribunal for an opportunity to address and allay the Competition Commission’s concerns (most of which relate to airline operational technical matters) and for the Tribunal to reconsider our application. We will not elaborate on these now as we do not wish to prejudice our case before the Tribunal.
We firmly believe the proposed transaction will be beneficial, not only for the two companies, but for their customers, employees, suppliers, the local and regional air transport markets as well as the broader South African economy.
For more details click here