Lufthansa Group finalizes 41% stake in ITA Airways
The Italian airline ITA Airways is a new member of the Lufthansa Group.
The Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and Europe’s leading aviation group concluded the transaction. As a result, the Lufthansa Group has a 41 percent stake in the Italian airline ITA Airways. The remaining 59 percent will initially continue to be held by MEF.
The two parties already agreed in May 2023 that Deutsche Lufthansa AG would acquire a minority stake of 41 percent in ITA Airways. The European Commission recently approved the participation by approving the remedies on 29 November 2024. Other competition authorities outside the EU have since also approved the participation.
The first step of the investment was implemented on Jan. 17, 2025 by means of a capital increase of 325 million euros. 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.
“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,” said Carsten Spohr, Chief Executive Officer Deutsche Lufthansa AG. “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 optimized connections as early as this upcoming summer flight schedule.”
A new home market for Lufthansa
Italy will now become an additional “home market” for the Lufthansa Group.
The country is already the company’s second most important international market after the USA, 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.