Seattle-based Alaska Air Group remains in discussions with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) over gaining antitrust clearance for its acquisition of San Francisco-based Virgin America and continues to be confident the deal will be approved.

“The scope of the issues that remain with the Justice Department are manageable,” Alaska chairman and CEO Brad Tilden told analysts and reporters Oct. 20, explaining that the issues are “important” and time will be needed to work through them.

“We were hoping to get this done a couple of weeks ago,” he said.

Tilden said he is unable to give a specific timeline on when the talks with DOJ will conclude and the Alaska-Virgin America merger can close, though he noted Alaska is “good to go” from a financing standpoint.

“We’re fully prepared to close the deal once we have DOJ approval,” CFO Brandon Pedersen added.

Alaska had originally planned to close the acquisition at the beginning of the fourth quarter, which started Oct. 1.

Tilden said Alaska is “very confident that the deal will get done,” calling the merger “pro consumer.” He said the company continues “working hard on integration planning” even as talks with DOJ are ongoing.