Airline mergers in Europe - An overview on the market definition of the EU commission

► The article looks at the European airline merger decisions between 1996 and 2009. ► We describe the relevant market definition development. ► The relevant market became narrow on demand-side and broader on supply-side. ► We examine the role of economics in the EU Com's airline merger decisions. ► We provide a sceptical attitude towards the more economic approach of merger policy.