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Iberia Lineas Aereas de Espana is studying the launch of long-haul flights from Barcelona if its bid for the local unit of Scandinavian carrier SAS succeeds, chairman Fernando Conte said.
Spain's largest airline by sales has eliminated routes from Barcelona as it restructured its network offering, focusing on its new hub in Madrid, a move that infuriated Catalan authorities.
Conte said a takeover of Spanair, as the unit of SAS is known, would strengthen Iberia's domestic flight network and reinforce Barcelona's Prat airport.
Authorities and business associations from Catalonia are raising concerns about the market power that Iberia could have in Prat airport if it buys Spanair. Conte said Iberia would comply with anti-trust requirements.
A merger between the two carriers would give Iberia a 70 percent share of the domestic flights market in Barcelona.
CargonewsAsia
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