Helikopter - CHCs oppkjøp av Babcock offshore stoppet av konkurransemyndighetene i UK - AIN

 

Interessant dette. Det er ikke første gang HS, senere CHC, kjøper Bond. Nå mislykkes de altså. (Red.)

June 2, 2022

UK Orders CHC To Offload Babcock Helicopter Business

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ruled yesterday that CHC’s acquisition of Babcock International’s offshore oil-and-gas aviation business last year is anti-competitive and has ordered CHC to divest it. CHC and Babcock finalized the acquisition in September, but Babcock’s operations were being held separately and operated independently while CHC sought merger approval from competition authorities in the UK and Australia.

The CMA ruled the acquisition was anti-competitive because “the parties were two of just four suppliers of oil and gas offshore helicopter services in the UK and provided an important competitive constraint on each other. The loss of this constraint would significantly reduce rivalry between an already limited number of suppliers. As a result, the CMA has found that the merger would lead to significant competition concerns in the UK’s oil and gas offshore helicopter services market.” The other two providers that the CMA alluded to are the Bristow Group and NHV. 

Babcock sold its offshore business, formerly known as Bond Helicopters, to CHC in part because it was a perennial money-loser. The CMA acknowledged operator “challenges” but said it made the ruling to “ensure that four effective competitors remain in the market.”

“Competition is vital to avoid higher prices or poorer quality, problems that ultimately increase costs to UK consumers,” said Kip Meek, chair of the CMA’s inquiry group.