British Airways eyes Asian routes after owner IAG given green light to buy bmi He said the deal would secure "the maximum number of jobs possible in the company" but he warned: "I make no secret of the fact that there will inevitably be some redundancies." Lufthansa had signalled it would shut loss-making bmi had the acquisition not received EC approval. IAG will operate bmi's summer schedule but Mr Walsh said he then intends to use the slots to expand BA's long-haul network, including flights to parts of Asia where the flagship carrier does not currently serve. Friday night's decision from the EC avoided the possibility of a lengthy "phase two" investigation, although the takeover could still be delayed if Sir Richard Branson's Virgin decides to pursue an appeal. A spokesman for Virgin said: "We are very concerned that a deal of such significance has been waved through with very little regard for the flying public. The last-minute remedies offered this week by British Airways were not shared with the industry and they have not been subject to a detailed assessment. We find it incredible that something of this importance, that will affect the aviation landscape for decades to come could be pushed through without being scrutinised robustly through the very process set out by the competition authorities. Virgin, which has only 3.5pc of Heathrow slots compared with the 51pc share that will be dominated by an enlarged IAG, would not comment on whether it would mount an appeal. The spokesman said the carrier would "review all available options." As part of negotiations with the EC, IAG has also agreed to allow rival airlines, including Virgin, to buy seats on BA's short and mid-haul routes to enable their long-haul passengers to transfer to other destinations within the UK and Europe. Although this kind of agreement is already fairly standard within the industry, it will force IAG to open it out to Virgin for the first time. Seats will be sold on "normal commercial terms." However, in a side swipe at his rival, Mr Walsh said: "Quite honestly I think it must be almost humiliating for Branson and Virgin to have to rely on the British Airways network to feed traffic into their operations at Heathrow. It clearly demonstrates the Virgin business model is not sustainable without the help of competitors.