Deutsche Post asks EU to look into Astar dispute
Deutsche Post has said its asked the European Commission to look into whether U.S. rivals were being given the same treatment in Europe as it was in the U.S., though it has lodged no formal complaint.
A Post DPWGn.DE spokesman said the company had asked EU Commissioner Loyola de Palacio to investigate whether a partnership between U.S. rival UPS and Danish airline Star Air was comparable to that between its own DHL unit and U.S. airline partner Astar.
UPS UPS.N and fellow Deutsche Post rival FedEx Corp. FDX.N have for years charged that the German company and its Brussels-based air and ground unit, DHL International, really controlled DHL Airways, in breach of U.S. regulations.
U.S. law limits overseas investment in American carriers to 25 percent of voting stock and prohibits foreign entities from exerting control over a U.S. carrier.
U.S. Congress ordered the Transportation Department to probe DHL Airways’ ownership structure in April at the behest of UPS and FedEx.
“The way in which they are trying to hinder a European company is clearly not in line with the rules that govern international trade,” Deutsche Post Chief Executive Klaus Zumwinkel told the Wall Street Journal Europe.
The Post spokesman said it was now up to the European Commission to decide how and if to follow up the matter.
