Alaska Air to get antitrust approval for Virgin deal soon: source

Alaska Air Group Inc's $2.6 billion acquisition of Virgin America Inc is expected to be approved by regulators soon, a source close to the deal told Reuters.

The Justice Department's antitrust approval could come as soon as Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Seattle-based Alaska Air has said the merger will create the largest airline on the U.S. West Coast and help it compete with bigger U.S. airlines.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)