IAG has the option to step back from its proposed takeover of Spanish carrier Air Europa if competition concerns prompt regulators to impose remedies that are too stringent, the group's chief executive Luis Gallego has warned. During a first-quarter results call, Gallego said IAG was "working with different options" to address the competition concerns of the European Commission, which is seeking several remedies. IAG "can have the option to walk away if the remedies are above [what] we think makes sense for the group", he says. However, he adds, the group is "still in the middle of the process", which is "progressing well" – though "until July we are not going to know anything new". The European Commission opened an in-depth investigation into the transaction in January, commenting as part of a "statement of objections" last month that it was worried that the tie-up could hurt competition in Spain and lead to higher prices. "The Commission is concerned that, absent suitable remedies, the removal of Air Europa as an independent airline may have negative effects on competition" on routes to the Spanish islands and some long-haul services, it said. IAG is now in the process of presenting remedies to the Commission ahead of a 15 July deadline for a final decision. The group announced in February that it had agreed to pay €400 million ($423 million) for the 80% of Air Europa it did not already own, as part of a move to cement its position in the South Atlantic.

Emirates plans to restart flights between Dubai and Edinburgh on 4 November. The UAE carrier says it will operate the route daily using the Airbus A350-900. This will complement Emirates' A380 service to Glasgow, offering passengers a total of 14 weekly flights to Scotland, it adds. It notes that the service will also boost cargo capacity and that Emirates SkyCargo will have be able to uplift 16 tonnes of freight per flight. Emirates' first of 65 on-order A350-900s is scheduled to enter service in September. It will use the type to serve nine destinations across the Middle East, GCC, west Asia and Europe. The Middle Eastern operator first launched flights to Edinburgh in 2018 using a Boeing 777-300ER.

Flydubai is expanding its European network with the launch of flights from Dubai International airport to Basel, Riga, Tallinn and Vilnius. Four weekly flights to Basel will begin on 2 August, while Riga flights will be operated thrice weekly from 11 October, the UAE-based carrier says. It will also operate thrice weekly services to Tallinn and Vilnius from 12 October. With this, Flydubai has grown its network in Europe to 44 destinations in 21 countries.