Lufthansa to get Austrian Air extension - sources

FRANKFURT, July 30 (Reuters) - Austria's Takeover Commission will grant Deutsche Lufthansa AG's (LHAG.DE) request to extend a deadline in its planned takeover of Austrian Airlines AG AUAV.VI, paving the way for completion of the deal, two people familiar with the matter said Thursday.

They said the regulator would not reject the request.

The Takeover Commission did not confirm the information.

Lufthansa had said on Tuesday it was seeking to extend a self-imposed July 31 deadline by a month as it scrambles to address EU antitrust concerns. [ID:nLR127328]

It had said it was nearing an agreement with the European Commission -- whose approval is required for the deal -- but would not be able to get formal approval by the end of the month.

At the end of last year, Lufthansa agreed to buy loss-making AUA, but said at the time that it wanted all conditions to be approved by the end of July, giving it an escape route if the deal became too difficult or expensive.

The European Commission said earlier this week that Lufthansa had submitted new proposals intended to tackle antitrust concerns in a bid to win over the regulator. (Reporting by Angelika Gruber and Christian Gutlederer; Writing by Maria Sheahan, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)