Europe’s second highest court on Wednesday upheld the European Union’s decision to block Booking Holdings’ €1.63 billion ($1.9 billion) acquisition of flight booking company ETraveli.
The Luxembourg based General Court rejected Booking’s arguments and agreed with EU antitrust regulators, who blocked the deal in 2023 over concerns it would strengthen Booking’s dominant position in online hotel bookings.
The European Commission said the acquisition could have created a broader travel ecosystem that would make it harder for rival online travel agencies to compete.
The ruling could still be appealed to the EU’s highest court on points of law.
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