Almost two years after the first news emerged, German flag carrier Lufthansa has completed the acquisition of Italian flag carrier ITA Airways. In a press statement, Lufthansa Group says that it concluded the transaction with the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) on Friday. As a result, the Lufthansa Group has a 41 pc stake in the Italian airline ITA Airways. The remaining 59 pc will initially continue to be held by MEF, it says.

The statement adds that the two parties had already agreed in May 2023 that Deutsche Lufthansa AG would acquire a minority stake of 41 pc in ITA Airways. The European Commission had recently approved the participation by approving the remedies and other competition authorities outside the EU have since also approved the participation.

The German carrier says that first step of the investment was implemented by means of a capital increase of EUR 325 million. Options for the acquisition of the remaining shares in ITA Airways have been agreed between the Lufthansa Group and MEF and can be exercised from this year. With today’s transaction, ITA Airways is part of the Lufthansa Group and will be the Group’s fifth network airline, it says.

“We are proud to finally welcome ITA Airways to the Lufthansa Group. I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this, especially in Rome, Brussels, Berlin and Frankfurt. The ITA Airways team has written an impressive success story in recent years and, with great energy, passion and expertise, has built an airline that is already the pride of an entire nation. We look forward to continuing this success story of ITA Airways together. With our investment, we will now strengthen the Italian and European aviation market and the position of the Lufthansa Group as number one in Europe. Our joint passengers worldwide will benefit from improved offers and optimised connections as early as this upcoming summer flight schedule,” says Carsten Spohr, Chief Executive Officer, Deutsche Lufthansa.

Carsten Spohr

The statement adds that Italy will thus become a further ‘home market’ for the Lufthansa Group. The country is already the company’s second most important international market after the United States, outside the existing home markets of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium. The Rome Fiumicino Airport will be the sixth and southernmost Lufthansa Group hub. Milan-Linate, as a metropolitan airport in the economically strong northern Italy region with the second largest catchment area in the EU, will play a prominent role in the Group, adds the German giant.

The statement adds that ITA Airways will be retained as a strong brand and developed further. With today’s closing of the transaction, the Lufthansa Group and ITA Airways can conclude the first cooperation agreements for their passengers. In a few weeks, ITA Airways frequent flyers will be able to collect their points or miles either in ITA Airways’ existing “Volare” programme or already in Miles & More, the Lufthansa Group’s loyalty programme.

In addition, Miles & More participants will have the opportunity to earn and redeem miles on ITA Airways flights. Further collaborations, such as joint codeshare connections, mutual use of the respective lounges and the planned admission to the Star Alliance aviation alliance, are to follow successively. Further details will be communicated to customers and partners in a timely manner.

Joerg Eberhart

The statement adds that ITA Airways is a young airline that has been growing since it started operating in 2021. Its modern, environmentally friendly Airbus fleet currently numbers 99 aircraft, including 22 long-haul Airbus A350-900, Airbus A330-900neo and A330-200 aircraft. ITA Airways flies to almost 70 destinations around the world. The airline’s home base is its Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate airport. In 2024, the airline ferried around 18 million passengers on board its aircraft.

The statement adds that Joerg Eberhart has been appointed as new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ITA Airways. He is also a managing member of the Board of Directors of the Italian airline, which is based in Rome. In this role, Joerg Eberhart will take over the tasks previously performed on an interim basis by Antonino Turicchi and Andrea Benassi.

Lorenza Maggio

Lorenza Maggio will take over the position of ‘Chief Strategy and Integration Officer’ (CSIO) and will become a member of the Board of Directors of ITA Airways. In this position, Maggio will manage the strategic development of the airline and be responsible for its integration into the Lufthansa Group.

Michael Trestl

Michael Trestl will be responsible for the holistic integration of ITA Airways into the Lufthansa Group as “ITA Implementation Officer” and will transfer from Austrian Airlines to the Group headquarters in Frankfurt for this purpose. Trestl has been a member of the Austrian Airlines Executive Board and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) since 2021.

“I am delighted that we can appoint two managers from our own ranks to the management of ITA Airways, Eberhart and Maggio. With their extensive experience and expertise, they will continue ITA Airways’ successful course and quickly integrate the airline into the Lufthansa Group. With Trestl, an experienced airline manager will take over the integration task in the group,” says Spohr