EU Delays Review Of Lufthansa, SN Holding Deal By 15 Days

The European Commission Tuesday delayed its antitrust review of German airline Lufthansa AG's (LHA.XE) bid to control SN Holding SA, the parent company of SN Brussels Airlines.

The 15-day delay will be used to study "commitments" offered by the companies, a commission official said without disclosing details. In airline deals, these commitments typically are offers to give up landing slots at airports. The commission's deadline to clear or block the deal is now July 1.

The commission in January launched an in-depth investigation into the deal after an initial study showed the combined carriers "could significantly impede effective competition," particularly for routes between Belgium and Germany and Belgium and Switzerland.

Under the terms of the deal, Lufthansa will pay EUR65 million to buy 45% of the company, with an option to buy the rest of the business in 2011.

-By Adam Cohen, Dow Jones Newswires; [phone]; [e-mail]