BRUSSELS, Feb 19 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators are

asking rivals and customers whether Safran's bid for

Collins' flight controls business would give the French engine

and aircraft equipment maker more market power, a person with

direct knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday.

The European Commission, which is now examining the deal,

has sent questionnaires, giving respondents until Feb. 24 to

reply, the person said.

Safran announced the $1.8 billion deal to buy Collins

Aerospace's actuation and flight controls business in July last

year to position it for the next generation of aircraft. The

deal is its biggest since it acquired seat maker Zodiac in 2018.

Actuators, which convert electronic instructions from the

cockpit to the physical movement of parts to help control

aircraft, provide critical cockpit functions such as providing

extra lift during landing.

The EU competition enforcer is looking at conglomerate

effects, the person said, referring to the impact of deals

between companies in different industries or involved in

unrelated business activities.

The questionnaire also asked about Safran's Horizontal

Stabilizer Trim Actuation (HSTA) systems for aircraft

stabilization and Collins' thrust reverser actuation systems

(TRAS), among others.

Safran agreed to sell its electromechanical actuation

business in North America, which includes its intellectual

property, operations assets, talent, and long-term customer

agreements for HSTA systems, to U.S. aircraft parts maker

Woodward in December.

Safran said the divestment was a step forward towards the

Collins deal. The Commission is scheduled to finish its

preliminary review by March 21. It can open a four-month long

investigation if it has serious concerns.

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority is also assessing

the deal. Collins Aerospace is part of U.S. aerospace and

defence giant Raytheon Technologies, recently renamed RTX

.