IAG takeover of bmi moves closer

The takeover of bmi by International Airlines Group, parent of British Airways, moved a step nearer to completion on Monday when the Office of Fair Trading said it would not ask to make its own review of the deal. The OFT said it would continue to work closely with the European commission which, it added, was "best placed" to consider competition concerns arising from the sale of bmi by Lufthansa. Virgin, which bid unsuccessfully, has complained that the £172.5m deal struck last December gives British Airways more than half the takeoff and landing slots at Heathrow.