The Department of Justice has asked Google for more information about its proposed acquisition of travel software firm ITA, the search engine giant said Friday.

"While we think this acquisition will benefit travelers as well as those seeking their business, we know that closer scrutiny has been one consequence of Google's success, and we said that we wouldn't be surprised if there were a regulatory review before the deal closes," Andrew Silverman, a Google senior product manager, wrote in a blog post. "This week we received what's called a 'second request,' which means that the U.S. Department of Justice is asking for more information so that they can continue to review the deal."

In early July, Google announced that it would acquire ITA for $700 million. The Boston-based software company specializes in organizing airline data like flight times, availability, and prices.

The DOJ inquiry means that the deal will not close immediately, but "we're confident that the DOJ will conclude that online travel will remain competitive after this acquisition closes," Silverman wrote.

He pointed to support from the travel industry as evidence that the deal would not hurt competition.