Tour operator sues EU for €715m

British tour operator MyTravel Group is suing the EU, which blocked a planned merger with a rival, for more than £500m (€715m).

The European Court of Justice in Luxembourg said it received the case yesterday.

A lower EU court last year overturned a 1999 decision by EU regulators to block the merger between First Choice and MyTravel, which was previously known as Airtours.

In a short statement, the court said MyTravel was seeking damages for “loss of profits of First Choice, loss of synergy savings and abortive bid costs.”

It said the company was seeking the £517.9m (€741.3m) or whatever sum the court sees fit.

The Airtours-First Choice decision was one of three high-profile court decisions to go against EU antitrust regulators last year.