Lufthansa Group might acquire up to 40% of ITA Airways
Lufthansa Group is in negotiations with ITA Airways to take a stake of 15% to 40% of the capital of the new Italian airline, according to the Italian newspaper Il Messaggero.
Through this participation, Lufthansa Group intends to integrate ITA Airways into the group’s operations, together with Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and SWISS. If the agreement is confirmed, the Lufthansa Group plans to develop synergies such as maintenance, the purchase of aircraft, as well as the transformation of Rome Fiumicino airport into a truly international hub.
By taking ITA Airways under its wing, Lufthansa would prevent its main competitor, the Air France-KLM group and its partner Delta Air Lines, from dominating the Italian market through an alliance with ITA Airways in the same way as they had with Alitalia within the SkyTeam alliance. Moreover, Italy is Lufthansa’s second-largest international market after the US
On his side, Alfredo Altavilla, president of ITA Airways, said that he was very interested in a takeover by Lufthansa.
The new Italian airline went into operation on 15 October 2021, replacing the loss-making Alitalia and since then it has shown firm steps to establish itself as the flagship company of Italy: it ordered 28 new Airbus aircraft, joined the Skyteam alliance and signed codeshare agreements with several airlines.
