ACCC okays Virgin Oz, Air New Zealand trans-Tasman tie-up 'til 2018

Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand have received conditional reauthorization from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to extend their trans-Tasman alliance until 31 October, 2018.

The alliance however, is still subject to a similar approval from the New Zealand Ministry of Transport. In its ruling, the ACCC said the alliance was unlikely to reduce competition on most trans-Tasman routes but it may affect competition on some of them.
As a result, the regulator requires that Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand maintain an aggregate base capacity across their network with a review of the airlines' capacity additions based on actual demand growth to be held in 2015. The airlines must also provide performance data to help the ACCC assess whether the alliance is adversely affecting competition.

Source: CH-Aviation