The delayed Alaska Airlines acquisition of Virgin America may close soon, according to newly filed court documents.
The deal has been held up by an ongoing anti-trust evaluation by the Department of Justice.
But Virgin’s lawyers said in a filing Thursday with the Northern District Court of California that “Alaska believes that Department of Justice review will likely be completed by the end of November.” The filing pertains to a lawsuit brought by consumers and travel agents to block the merger on the grounds that it would reduce competition and air service.
The airline had initially anticipated the merger would be cleared by the end of September.
Seattle-based Alaska Air Group, parent company of Alaska Airlines, announced in April it would buy San Francisco-based Virgin America for $2.6 billion, to create the 5th largest U.S. airline.