Abstract:
Following the liberalization of the European aviation market, competition among
commercial airlines has intensified. In this challenging environment, companies have
maximized their efforts to attract more customers and consumers to keep them going and
increase their profits. These efforts were accompanied by a high number of anti-competitive
practices aimed to exclude existing airlines and preventing new competitors from entering
the market. These include, but not limited to the complicity of airlines by sharing markets,
raising tickets prices, setting predatory prices, making discriminatory loyalty offers,
restricting reservation systems and operating services, as well as misuse by some airlines
of their dominant position, without overlooking the detrimental effects of economic
conglomerates on fair competition.
In response to these illegal practices, the European Commission - supported by European
competition legislations with the assistance of the European Unions’ national competition
authorities - has taken a firm position to prevent such practices or stop them if committed.
The Commission has also toughened fines on airlines violating European fair competition
rules in the aviation sector
Dr. Ahmad Qasim Farah
Associate Professor of Commercial Law
Faculty of Law - University of Sharjah
Anti-competitive Practices of Commercial Airlines in light
of Decisions of the European Commission
Keywords: