European Commission approves CityJet-Air Nostrum merger

The European Commission approved the merger between two major European regional airlines, CityJet and Air Nostrum.

It is the second time the merger has been approved, with the first attempt to combine the airlines in 2018-2019 being cut short by the COVID pandemic.

The merger was reactivated in early 2023, and airlines have been requested to submit the required documentation again.

The request was submitted by Fortress Investment Group, a US-based company which owns CityJet, and Air Investment Valencia (AIV), which controls Air Nostrum.

“In January 2023, the parties re-notified the transaction as the deal has not been yet executed. The Commission has now concluded that the competitive landscape and market conditions remained broadly the same, and that the transaction would still not raise competition concerns,” European Commission statement, published on March 2, 2023, explains.

Air Nostrum is based in Valencia and operates 37 aircraft, most of them Bombardier CRJ-100 and CRJ-1000, according to Planespotters data. Dublin-based CityJet operates 17 Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft.

Most of CityJet’s flights are conducted on behalf of Scandinavian Airlines, while Air Nostrum operates as a part of Iberia franchise.