A federal bankruptcy judge has cleared the way for American Airlines and US Airways to complete their merger and create the world's largest airline.

The judge ruled Wednesday that this month's settlement of an antitrust lawsuit filed by the federal government didn't upset American's bankruptcy-reorganization plan, which is built around the merger. He rejected a request by a group of consumers to block the deal temporarily.

American said immediately after the ruling that it plans to complete the deal on Dec. 9.

The Justice Department had sued to block the merger in August, saying that it would hurt competition and lead to higher prices.