The European Union's competition commissioner has decided to conditionally approve the purchase of financially troubled Austrian Airlines by Germany's Lufthansa, paving the way to create Europe's largest carrier, according to dpa. The conditional clearance decision must be submitted to a council representing all 27 EU member states, with plans for a final proposal to be presented to the representative commissioners "as soon as possible," read a statement from the office of EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes. The approval comes after Deutsche Lufthansa AG agreed to take steps to minimize competition concerns raised by the potential merger of the two airlines. Lufthansa chief executive Wolfgang Mayrhuber welcomed the EU's decision. The European Commission "underpins its strategy of giving Europe's aviation a chance to stand its ground in the long term," he said.
