Low cost carrier easyJet has hit out at an EC decision allowing Lufthansa majority voting rights on Eurowings which owns rival no frill airline Germanwings
easyJet said the EC had approved the move "without a thorough examination - even though Lufthansa and its partners already have a market share of 57% in Germany."
The UK airline said because of the "appalling" way the EC had behaved, it had now written to Lufthansa ceo Wolfgang Mayrhuber asking him "three straight questions" about his airline's plans.
These request guarantees that Lufthansa will not use its "dominant" position to raise prices or act against the consumer's interest.
In return for the majority voting rights, Lufthansa, which has a 49% stake in Eurowings, will make slots on three routes available to competitors.
Mr John Kohlsaat, easyJet's country manager for Germany, said: "This is the third time in two years that the Commission has approved the strengthening of a national airline's monopoly with only scant attention to the impact of the flying public.
"The Commission is supposed to be the Guardian of the EU's free market, but when it comes to airlines it seems to prefer the creation of national monopolies."