FILE PHOTO: Cockpit equipment made by Rockwell Collins and used in a CH-47 Chinook helicopter is pictured at the ILA Berlin Air Show in Schoenefeld, south of Berlin, Germany, June 1, 2016. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. aircraft component maker Rockwell Collins COL.N is set to gain unconditional EU approval for its $6.4 billion bid for aircraft interior maker B/E Aerospace BEAV.O, two people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

The deal will boost Rockwell Collins’ exposure to a record pipeline of commercial aerospace equipment purchases and expand its relatively modest presence in lucrative aftermarkets.

The two U.S. companies have little product overlaps, with Rockwell active in avionics and flight control systems while B/E Aerospace is a major supplier of aircraft seats, galleys, lighting and lavatories.

The European Commission, which is scheduled to rule on the deal by April 12, declined to comment. Rockwell Collins and B/E Aerospace did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Securing EU approval without conditions will be a major step toward closing the deal, which Rockwell aims to do within the next few months.

Pricing pressures from Boeing BA.N and Airbus AIR.PA are seen as one factor which triggered the deal. The merged company has forecast cost savings of about $160 million due to greater buying power with suppliers and combined information technology systems.

The Rockwell deal has also renewed speculation of more tie-ups in the sector. French aero engine maker Safran SAF.PA launched a $9 billion takeover bid in January for seats maker Zodiac Aerospace ZODC.PA to create the world's third-largest aerospace supplier.